,1 


GEORC 
G  R  I  N 


s 


OQ 


HARPER'S 

PORTRAIT  COLLECTION 

OF  SHORT  STORIES 


VOLUME   V 


'Geo.  ii.  riughson,  Jr. 


^ 


The  Punishment  of  the 
Stingy 

and  Other  Indian  Stories 

by 

George  Bird  Grinnell 

Illustrated 


New  York  and  London 

.    Harper  5-  Brothers  Publishers 
1901 


Copyright,  1901,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 

All  rights  reserved. 
September,  1901. 


Contents 

PAGE 

THE  STORIES  AND  THE  STORY-TELLERS vii 

THE  BLUEJAY  STORIES ix 

THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  STINGY 3 

BLUEJAY,  THE  IMITATOR 19 

BLUEJAY  VISITS  THE  GHOSTS 35 

THE  GIRL  WHO  WAS  THE  RING 49 

THE  FIRST  CORN 65 

THE  STAR  BOY 75 

THE  GRIZZLY  BEAR'S  MEDICINE 87 

THE  FIRST  MEDICINE  LODGE 117 

THUNDER  MAKER  AND  COLD  MAKER 127 

THE  BLINDNESS  OF  PI-WA^-OK 143 

RAGGED  HEAD 159 

NOTHING  CHILD 167 

SHIELD  QUIVER'S  WIFE 189 

THE  BEAVER  STICK 201 

LITTLE  FRIEND  COYOTE    .     .  219 


388386 


HARPER'S    PORTRAIT    COLLECTION 
OF   SHORT    STORIES. 


NO. 

x.  A     PAIR     OF     PATIENT     LOVERS.       By 
W.  D.  HOWELLS. 

2.  SIR  JOHN  AND   THE  AMERICAN  GIRL. 

By  LILIAN  BELL. 

3.  THE     NINETEENTH      HOLE.        By     VAN 

TASSEL  SUTPHEN. 

4.  TALES    OF    THE    CLOISTER.     By   ELIZA 

BETH  G.  JORDAN. 

5.  THE    PUNISHMENT    OF   THE    STINGY. 

By  G.  B.  GRINNELL. 

6.  OVER  THE    PLUM  -  PUDDING.     By  JOHN 

KENDRICK  BANGS.     (In  Press.) 

A II  in  dainty  uniform  bindings,  onyx  stamped  in  gold, 
uncut  edges  and  gilt  tops.  Each  volume  contains  a 
tinted  portrait  of  the  author.  Price  $115  net,  each. 

NEW    YORK    AND    LONDON : 
HARPER  &   BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS. 


Illustrations 

"THEN  THEY  WENT  SEAWARD" Frontispiece 

' '  HE  SAW  A  BALD  -  HEADED  EAGLE  "  .      .       .      .  Facing  p.  8 

"THE  BIRD  CAME  DOWN" "  10 

"FIVE  TIMES  HE  CIRCLED  AROUND  THEM"  .  "  12 
"THERE  WAS  NO  BOY  THERE,  ONLY  A  PILE 

OF  BONES" "  38 

"ONLY  BONES  LAY  THERE" "  40 

"ITS  HEAD  WAS  SO  HEAVY  THAT  IT  THREW 

IT   DOWN" "  42 

THE   STICK   GAME "  50 

SWINGING  THE  GIRL  TO  CALL  THE  BUFFALO      .  "  52 

COYOTE   HOLDS  A   COUNCIL   OF   WAR    ....  "  54 

"  '  I  CAN  TELL  WHICH  STICK  IS  THE  NEARER  '  "  "  58 
"SNORTED     '  WHOOF,'    AND     BLEW     RED     DUST 

FROM  HIS  NOSTRILS" 92 

"THEY  COULD  NOT  HURT  HIM" "  100 

THE  CONFERENCE  IN  THE  LODGE    ....  106 

"SU-YESAI-PI  CLUNG  TO  HIM" "  226 

" 'OH,  LITTLE  WOLF,'  SHE   CRIED"    ....  "  230 


The  Stories  and  the  Story-Tellers 


HE  stories  in  this  book  deal  with 
peoples  of  widely  different  sur 
roundings  and  habit  —  some  with 
dwellers  on  the  sea  -  shore,  whose 
skies  are  often  obscured  by  rain  and  fog,  who 
draw  their  living  from  the  sea,  and  are  at  home 
on  the  water;  and  others  with  inhabitants  of 
the  high  plains,  where  the  air  is  pure  and  dry, 
and  the  summer  sun  is  rarely  hidden  by 
clouds. 

As  the  Indians  have  no  written  characters, 
memorable  events  are  retained  only  in  the 
minds  of  the  people,  and  are  handed  down  by 
the  elders  to  their  children,  and  by  these  again 
transmitted  to  their  children,  so  passing  from 
generation  to  generation.  Until  recent  years, 
one  of  the  sacred  duties  of  certain  elders  of  the 
tribes  was  the  handing  down  of  these  histories 
to  their  successors.  As  they  repeated  them,  they 
vii 


The  Stories  and  the  Story-Tellers 

impressed  upon  the  hearer  the  importance  of 
remembering  the  stories  precisely  as  told,  and 
of  telling  them  again  exactly  as  he  had  re 
ceived  them,  neither  adding  nor  taking  away 
anything.  Thus  early  taught  his  duty,  each 
listener  strove  to  perform  it,  and  to  impress 
on  those  whom  he  in  turn  instructed  a  similar 
obligation. 

In  transcribing  stories  such  as  these,  care 
must  be  used  to  take  down  just  what  the  nar 
rator  says.  The  stories  must  be  reproduced  as 
they  are  told ;  otherwise  they  lose  that  primitive 
flavor  which  is  often  one  of  their  chief  charms. 
In  their  true  form  they  are  full  of  human  nat 
ure,  full  of  unconscious  suggestion  as  to  how  the 
primitive  mind  worked,  and  full  also  of  hints 
as  to  the  customs  and  life  of  the  people  in  the 
old  days. 

Seated  by  the  nickering  fire  in  Blackf oot  skin- 
lodge,  or  in  Pawnee  dirt-house,  or  in  sea-shore 
dwelling  on  the  northwest  coast,  I  have  re 
ceived  these  stories  from  the  lips  of  aged  his 
torians,  and  have  set  them  down  here  as  I  have 
heard  them. 


The  Bluejay  Stories 


"  the  shores  of  the  ocean  which 
washes  our  northwest  coast  live 
many  tribes  of  a  hardy,  seafaring 
people.  Their  houses  stand  along 
the  beach  just  above  high-water  mark,  and  be 
hind  them  the  wooded  mountains  rise  sharply. 
The  waters  at  their  feet  yield  them  the  chief 
share  of  their  living.  The  salmon  that  each 
year  come  to  the  rivers  to  spawn,  the  great 
shoals  of  little  herrings  that  visit  the  beach, 
the  halibut  that  lie  at  the  bottom  far  at  sea, 
the  seals,  the  sea-lions,  the  porpoises,  and  the 
whales,  all  provide  something  towards  the 
tribe's  support.  Or,  if  for  a  while  all  these 
fail,  there  are  flat-fish  on  the  shoals,  clams  in 
the  mud  flats,  and  mussels  clinging  to  the  rocks. 
In  the  stories  told  by  this  race  of  seafarers,  the 
incidents  have  to  do  with  the  common  events 
of  their  lives,  and  the  scenes  are  commonly  laid 
ix 


The  Bluejay  Stories 

on  the  water  or  at  the  water's  edge.  Thus  they 
treat  of  the  hunting  of  the  sea-lion,  of  the  catch 
ing  of  the  salmon,  most  often  of  the  search  for 
food 

Most  of  the  stories  to  be  related  here  are 
very  old,  and  date  from  a  period  when  men  and 
animals  were  far  more  closely  related  than  they 
seem  to  be  to-day;  when,  as  the  tales  clearly 
show,  each  could  understand  the  other's  lan 
guage,  and  when  friendly  intercourse  between 
them  was  common.  Although  in  recent  years 
all  the  conditions  of  the  lives  of  these  people 
have  changed,  stories  such  as  these  may  still 
be  heard,  if  one  can  gain  the  confidence  of  the 
aged  men  and  women  who  yet  retain  this  leg 
endary  lore.  In  somewhat  different  form,  the 
Bluejay  Stories,  in  the  original  tongue,  may  be 
found  in  the  Chinook  Texts,  collected  by  that 
eminent  ethnologist,  Dr.  Franz  Boas,  whose 
studies  of  American  tribes  have  yielded  such 
important  and  valuable  results. 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

A  BLUEJAY  STORY 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 


T  Sea  Side  lived  many  people — a 
big  village.  Their  houses  were  on 
the  bank,  and,  below,  the  wide  beach 
sloped  down  to  the  salt  water.  Un 
der  the  bank  the  canoes  rested  on  the  beach 
above  high-water  mark.  Beyond  was  the  sea. 

One  day  the  Chief  of  the  village  died.  He 
had  one  son,  a  big  boy  just  growing  up  to  be 
a  man.  It  was  winter,  and  the  people  had 
hardly  anything  to  eat.  They  looked  along  the 
beach  for  food  cast  up  by  the  sea,  but  they  could 
find  nothing.  They  were  hungry,  and  did  not 
know  what  they  should  do.  Mussels  and  roots 
were  their  only  food. 

One  day  a  hunter  said  to  the  men :  "  Every 
body  get  ready;  let  us  go  out  to  sea.  Perhaps 
there  we  may  find  something  to  eat;  even  if 
we  kill  nothing,  we  can  at  least  gather  mus 
sels." 

3 


T hV  t'urtishnrient  of  the  Stingy 

So  all  the  men  got  ready,  and  they  started 
out  to  sea  in  two  canoes.  After  they  had  gone 
some  distance  they  came  to  a  small  island,  and 
saw  there  some  sea-lions,  and  the  hunter  speared 
one,  and  it  jumped  out  to  the  water  and  swam 
strongly,  and  then  it  died  and  floated  on  the 
water.  They  dragged  it  up  on  the  shore  near 
by,  and  Blue  jay  said,  "  We  will  boil  it  here." 
So  they  made  a  fire  there  and  singed  it  and  cut 
it  up  and  boiled  it.  Then  Blue  jay  said:  "Let 
us  eat  it  here.  Let  us  eat  all  of  it,  and  not  take 
any  of  it  home  with  us."  So  these  people  ate 
there.  The  Raven  wished  to  take  home  some 
of  the  meat  to  give  to  persons  who  were  hun 
gry,  and  hid  a  piece  in  his  mat  and  carried  it 
to  the  canoe,  but  Blue  jay  ran  down  and  took  the 
meat  and  threw  it  into  the  fire  and  burned  it. 
After  they  had  eaten  all  they  wanted,  they 
made  ready  to  go  home.  They  gathered  mus 
sels,  large  and  small.  In  the  evening  they 
came  to  the  village,  and  Blue  jay  called  out  to 
his  wife,  "  Stikua,  come  and  get  your  mussels." 
There  was  a  noise  of  many  feet  as  Stikua  and 
the  other  women  came  running  down  to  get 
their  mussels,  and  carried  them  up  to  the 
houses. 

4 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

The  Eaven  took  care  of  the  Chief's  son.  That 
night  the  boy  said  to  him,  "  To-morrow  I  want 
to  go  with  you."  Bluejay  said :  "  What  are  you 
going  to  do  ?  The  waves  will  carry  you  away. 
You  will  be  washed  away.  I  was  almost 
washed  away." 

Early  the  next  morning  the  men  made  ready 
to  go  hunting  again.  They  went  down  to  the 
beach  and  got  into  the  canoes,  and  the  boy  also 
went  down  to  the  beach.  He  intended  to  go 
with  them,  and  as  they  were  pushing  off  he 
tried  to  get  into  one  of  the  canoes.  Bluejay 
said  to  him :  "  Go  up  to  the  houses.  Go  up  to 
the  houses."  The  boy  went,  as  he  had  been  told, 
but  he  felt  very  sorry,  and  then  Bluejay  said, 
"  Quick,  let  us  leave  him."  The  people  began 
to  paddle. 

At  length  they  reached  the  land  where  they 
had  been  the  day  before.  It  was  a  rocky  isl 
and.  The  hunter  went  ashore  and  speared  a 
sea-lion.  They  hauled  it  to  the  shore  and  pull 
ed  it  up  on  land,  and  then  pulled  it  up  away 
from  the  beach.  Bluejay  said,  "  We  will  eat 
it  all  here,  or  else  our  Chief's  son  will  always 
be  wanting  to  come  with  us."  So  now  they 
singed  the  sea-lion,  and  cut  it  up  and  boiled  it 
5 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

there.  Then,  when  what  they  were  cooking 
was  ready,  they  ate  plenty.  The  Raven  tried 
to  save  one  piece  of  the  meat.  He  tied  it  in 
his  hair,  intending  to  hide  it,  but  Blue  jay  took 
it  out  and  threw  it  into  the  fire  and  burned  it. 
When  they  started  home  they  gathered  mussels, 
and  at  evening  they  got  home.  Before  they 
landed,  Blue  jay  called  out  loud,  "  Come, 
Stikui,  and  get  your  mussels."  There  was  a 
noise  of  feet  running,  and  Stikua  and  her  chil 
dren  came  running  to  the  beach  with  all  the 
other  women.  Then  they  carried  the  mussels 
up  to  the  houses.  Blue  jay  said  to  the  men  who 
had  been  with  him,  "  Do  not  tell  the  Chief's 
son,  any  of  you,  for  if  you  do  he  will  always 
go  with  us." 

That  night  the  boy  said,  "  To-morrow  I  am 
going  with  you";  and  Blue  jay  said  to  him: 
"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  You  may  drift 
away.  You  may  be  overwhelmed  by  the 
waves."  The  boy  said,  "  I  will  go  with  you." 

On  the  third  morning  they  rose  early  and 
went  to  the  beach,  and  the  boy  also  went  to  the 
beach,  and  took  hold  of  the  side  of  the  canoe 
to  get  in.  Blue  jay  said :  "  What  are  you  doing 
here  ?  Go  to  the  houses."  The  boy  cried,  but 
6 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

he  went  back.  Then  Blue  jay  said  to  the  oth 
ers,  "  Quick,  paddle ;  we  will  leave  him  be 
hind."  Then  the  people  paddled  away.  At 
length  they  arrived  at  the  rock  of  the 
sea  -lions,  and  the  hunter  went  ashore.  He 
speared  a  large  sea  -  lion,  and  pretty  soon  it 
floated  dead  on  the  water.  They  pulled  it  in 
to  the  shore  and  up  on  the  beach,  and  then  they 
hauled  it  up  above  the  beach  and  singed  and 
cut  it  up  and  boiled  it  there.  When  it  was  done 
they  ate,  and  Blue  jay  said:  "We  will  eat  it 
all.  We  will  not  tell  any  one,  for  fear  that 
our  Chief's  son  should  want  to  come  with  us." 
After  all  had  eaten  enough,  a  little  meat  was 
still  left.  The  Kaven  tried  to  hide  a  piece  of 
it.  He  tied  it  to  his  leg  and  put  a  bandage 
over  it,  and  said  that  his  leg  was  broken. 
Blue  jay  burned  all  the  meat  that  was  left 
over.  He  said  to  the  Raven,  "  I  want  to 
see  your  leg."  He  seized  the  Raven's  leg  and 
untied  it,  and  found  the  piece  of  meat  that  the 
Raven  had  tied  to  it  and  burned  it.  Towards 
evening  they  gathered  mussels,  and  then  they 
went  home. 

When  they  were  nearly  at  their  home  Blue- 
jay  called  out,  "  Stikua,  your  mussels."   There 
7 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

was  a  noise  of  feet,  and  Stikua  and  the  women 
ran  to  the  beach.  They  carried  the  mussels 
up  from  the  beach  and  ate  mussels  all  night. 
The  boy  said,  "  To-morrow,  I  think,  I  shall 
surely  go  along  with  you."  Blue  jay  said  to 
him :  "  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  You  will 
drift  away.  I  should  have  drifted  away  twice 
if  I  had  not  caught  hold  of  the  canoe." 

Early  the  next  morning  they  made  them 
selves  ready,  and  the  boy  got  up  and  made  him 
self  ready.  Then  the  people  hauled  their 
canoes  down  to  the  water  and  got  into  them. 
The  boy  tried  to  get  into  a  canoe  too,  but  Blue- 
jay  took  hold  of  him  and  threw  him  into  the 
water.  He  stood  in  the  water  up  to  his  waist. 
He  took  hold  of  the  side  of  the  canoe,  but  Blue- 
jay  hit  his  hands  to  make  him  let  go.  For  a 
long  time  he  held  on,  and  cried  and  cried,  but 
at  last  he  let  go  and  went  up  to  the  house.  Then 
Blue  jay  and  the  other  people  paddled  away. 
After  a  while  they  reached  the  rock  where  the 
sea-lions  lived,  and  the  hunter  went  ashore 
and  speared  a  sea-lion,  and  it  jumped  into  the 
water  and  soon  floated  there  dead.  Then  they 
towed  it  to  the  beach  and  pulled  it  up  and 
singed  it,  and  cut  it  up  and  boiled  it.  Blue  jay 


HE    SAW   A    BALD-HEADED   EAGLE 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

said,  "  We  will  eat  it  here."  They  ate  for  a 
long  time  and  ate  half  of  it,  and  then  they 
were  satisfied.  They  were  so  full  that  they 
went  to  sleep.  After  a  while  Blue  jay  awoke 
and  burned  all  the  meat  that  was  left.  Towards 
evening  they  gathered  mussels  and  then  started 
home. 

When  they  were  near  the  shore,  Blue  jay 
called  out  to  his  wife,  "  Come  and  get  your  mus 
sels,  Stikua,"  and  they  heard  the  noise  of  feet 
running  down  to  the  shore.  Then  they  carried 
up  the  mussels  from  the  beach.  That  night  the 
boy  said,  "  To-morrow  I  shall  go  with  you  " ; 
and  Blue  jay  said  to  him:  "  What  are  you  going 
to  do  ?  We  may  be  thrown  into  the  water  and 
you  may  drown." 

Early  the  next  morning  the  men  made  ready 
to  start.  The  boy  also  got  up  and  made  himself 
ready.  Then  Bluejay  and  the  people  hauled 
the  canoes  down  to  the  water  and  got  into  them. 
The  boy  tried  to  get  into  the  canoe,  but  Blue- 
jay  threw  him  into  the  water,  and  they  pushed 
off.  The  boy  caught  hold  of  the  side  of  the 
canoe  and  held  it.  He  stood  there  in  the  water 
up  to  his  armpits,  and  tried  to  get  into  the 
canoe,  but  Bluejay  hit  his  hands  and  made  him 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

let  go.     The  boy  cried  and  cried.    Blue  jay  and 
the  people  paddled  away. 

After  a  little  time  the  boy  went  up  to  the 
beach,  feeling  very  sad,  and  trying  to  think 
what  he  should  do.  At  last  he  went  into  the 
house  and  took  his  arrows  and  started,  walking 
along  the  shore.  He  walked  around  a  point, 
and  saw  a  black  eagle,  and  shot  it.  He  skinned 
it  and  tried  to  put  the  skin  on  his  body,  but  it 
was  too  small.  It  did  not  reach  down  as  far  as 
his  knees.  He  took  it  off  and  left  it  there  and 
went  on.  After  a  while  he  saw  another  eagle, 
and  he  shot  it,  and  it  fell  down.  Its  head  was 
partly  white.  He  skinned  it  and  put  the  skin  on 
his  body,  but  it  was  too  small.  It  reached  down 
only  a  little  below  his  knees.  Then  he  took  it 
off  and  left  it  lying  there,  and  went  on  a  long 
way.  At  last  he  saw  a  bald-headed  eagle.  He 
shot  it,  and  it  fell  down.  Then  he  skinned  it 
and  put  the  skin  on  himself.  Even  this  was  too 
small,  but  it  nearly  fitted  him.  Then  he  tried 
to  fly.  At  first  he  could  only  fly  downward. 
He  could  not  rise  in  the  air.  He  tried  again, 
and  this  time  he  found  that  he  could  turn,  so 
he  kept  on  trying,  and  pretty  soon  he  could  fly 
well. 

10 


BE). 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

Now  he  flew  towards  the  village,  and  when 
he  had  come  near  to  this  point  he  smelled  smoke, 
and  in  that  smoke  he  smelled  fat  cooking.  So 
before  he  got  to  the  village  he  turned  and  flew 
out  to  sea,  following  the  smell  of  the  smoke. 
Pretty  soon  he  came  to  the  rock  of  the  sea- 
lions,  and  there  he  saw  the  men  of  his  village. 
He  lit  on  a  tree  far  off  and  watched  them, 
looking  down  on  them  below.  He  saw  that  they 
were  cooking,  and  when  the  meat  was  done  he 
saw  them  eating.  When  they  had  nearly  fin 
ished  eating,  he  flew  towards  them,  and  he 
thought,  "I  wish  Bluejay  would  see  me." 
Blue  jay  did  see  the  bird  flying,  and  he  said, 
"  Ha !  a  bird  is  coming  to  get  food  from  us." 
The  boy  flew  around  them  once,  and  then  again. 
Five  times  he  circled  around  them,  all  the  time 
coming  lower.  Bluejay  took  a  piece  of  meat 
and  threw  it  out,  and  said  to  the  bird,  "  I 
give  you  this  to  eat;  take  it."  The  bird  came 
down,  and,  grasping  the  piece  of  meat,  flew 
away.  Then  Bluejay  said,  "Why,  that  bird 
has  feet  just  like  a  person!" 

When  Bluejay  and  the  people  had  finished 
eating  they  went  to  sleep.    Again  the  Kaven  hid 
a  piece   of  meat.      Towards   evening  Bluejay 
11 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

awoke,  and  then  the  people  ate  again,  and  af 
terwards  Blue  jay  burned  what  they  had  left. 
Then  they  gathered  mussels  and  started  to  go 
home.  When  they  were  close  to  the  houses 
Blue  jay  called  out,  "  Ah,  Stikua,  get  your  mus 
sels."  All  the  women  ran  down  to  the  beach 
with  a  noise  of  feet,  and  carried  up  the  mus 
sels. 

When  the  boy  got  home  he  at  once  lay  down. 
That  evening  the  people  tried  to  wake  him,  but 
he  did  not  rise. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  it  became  day, 
early,  they  began  to  get  ready,  and  again  they 
hauled  their  canoes  into  the  water.  The  Chief's 
son  still  lay  in  bed.  He  did  not  try  to  go  with 
them,  and  they  started  off.  After  a  while  the 
sun  rose.  Then  the  boy  got  up.  He  called  to 
gether  all  the  women  and  children  and  said  to 
them :  "  Quick,  wash  yourselves.  Hurry ;  don't 
be  lazy."  They  all  washed  themselves.  Then  he 
said,  "  Quick,  comb  your  hair."  They  did  so. 

Then  he  put  down  a  plank  on  the  ground  and 
took  a  piece  of  meat  from  under  his  blanket, 
and  said  to  them,  "  All  your  Imsbands  eat  a 
great  deal  of  this  meat  every  day."  He  put 
two  pieces  of  the  meat  side  by  side  on  the  plank. 
12 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

Then  he  cut  off  a  piece  of  the  meat  and  greased 
the  heads  of  all  the  women  and  the  children. 
Then  he  pulled  out  of  the  ground  the  wall 
planks  of  the  houses  and  sharpened  them.  If 
a  wall  plank  was  wide,  he  split  it.  He  sharp 
ened  all  of  them.  The  Haven's  house  was  the 
last  house  in  the  village.  He  did  not  pull  down 
its  planks.  He  fastened  the  planks  on  the 
backs  of  the  women,  and  said  to  the  women, 
"  Now  go  to  the  beach  and  swim  towards  the 
sea,  and  as  you  go,  swim  five  times  around  that 
rock  and  then  go  out  to  sea.  After  this  you 
shall  be  killer  whales.  When  you  find  sea- 
lions  you  shall  always  kill  them,  but  do  not 
give  any  of  them  to  stingy  people.  When  you 
kill  a  good  whale  you  shall  eat  it,  but  do  not 
give  any  of  it  to  stingy  people.  I  shall  take 
these  children  with  me.  They  shall  live  on 
the  sea  and  be  my  relations."  Then  he  began 
to  split  sinews ;  he  split  a  great  many  of  them. 
He  threw  down  the  sinews  that  he  had  split  on 
the  stones  where  the  people  used  to  gather  their 
mussels,  and  said  to  the  mussels,  "  After  this 
when  Blue  jay  and  these  others  go  to  take  up 
you  mussels,  you  shall  always  be  tied  fast  to 
the  rocks." 

13 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

Now  the  women  went  down  to  the  water's 
edge  and  swam  about,  and  began  slowly  to 
jump  out  of  the  water.  Five  times  they  swam 
backward  and  forward  before  the  village;  then 
they  went  seaward,  swimming  very  fast.  They 
kept  on  to  the  island  where  Blue  jay  and  his 
fellows  were  cooking  their  food.  Blue  jay  said 
to  the  men,  "  What  is  this  that  is  coming  ?" 
The  men  looked  at  the  things  that  were  coming, 
and  saw  the  women  often  jumping  out  of  the 
water.  Five  times  they  swam  around  that  rock, 
then  they  went  out  to  sea.  After  a  while  birds 
came  flying  after  them  towards  the  sea — birds 
with  red  bills,  just  as  if  blood  were  on  their 
beaks.  They  kept  following  one  another,  many 
of  them.  Bluejay  said:  "  Do  you  see  these 
birds,  how  they  keep  coming?  Where  do  they 
come  from  ?"  Then  the  Raven  said,  "  How  is 
it  that  you  do  not  recognize  these  as  your  chil 
dren?"  Five  times  the  birds  flew  around  the 
rock,  just  as  the  women  had  gone  around  it, 
and  then  they  flew  away  out  to  sea. 

When  Bluejay  and  his  people  were  eating 

the  meat  that  they  had  killed,  that  hunter  said : 

"  Quick,  let  us  go  home.     I  am  afraid  that  we 

have  seen  bad  spirits.     We  never  before  saw 

14 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

anything  like  this  at  this  rock."  Then  they 
gathered  some  mussels,  and  put  in  the  canoes 
the  meat  that  was  left  and  carried  it  with  them. 
Just  at  evening  they  came  to  the  village,  and 
Blue  jay  called  out,  "  Ah,  Stikua,  come  and  get 
your  mussels."  There  was  no  noise  of  people 
running.  Five  times  he  called  to  her,  but  no 
one  came.  It  was  all  still.  They  went  up  on 
the  beach,  and  then  they  saw  that  no  one  was 
there,  and  that  the  walls  of  the  houses  had  dis 
appeared.  Then  they  began  to  cry,  and  Blue- 
jay  cried  too.  Some  one  said  to  him,  "  Be 
quiet,  Bluejay;  if  you  had  not  been  bad,  our 
Chief  would  not  have  done  this  to  us." 

Now  they  made  only  one  house  for  all;  all 
lived  together.  Only  the  Raven,  who  had  been 
kind-hearted,  had  a  house  to  himself.  He  often 
went  along  the  beach  looking  for  food,  and  was 
lucky,  for  sometimes  he  found  a  sturgeon;  or 
again  he  went  along  the  beach  looking  for  food 
and  he  found  a  porpoise.  Bluejay  often  went 
along  the  beach  trying  to  find  food,  but  he  was 
always  unlucky,  for  he  found  nothing,  and 
often,  while  he  was  looking,  suddenly  it  would 
begin  to  hail — big  hailstones.  Often  he  went 
out  to  gather  mussels  and  tried  to  break  them 
15 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 


fast  to  the  staMs.  So  he  gmre  up 
tone.  He  cried  a  great  deaL  Oi^f» 
looked  fcr  food  along  the  beach  and 


::•:.£ 


awajr  and  tfcej  had  aodn^  to  eat.     So 


Bluejay,  the  Imitator 


Bluejay,  the  Imitator 


LUEJAY  and  his  elder  sister  loi, 
with  her  five  children,  lived  together 
in  a  house  by  the  sea  beach.  Ev 
ery  morning  they  went  out  to  walk 
along  the  beach,  to  see  what  the  tide  had  washed 
up  during  the  night  that  was  good  to  eat. 
Sometimes  they  found  fish,  or  a  seal,  and  some 
times  a  whale.  Some  days  when  they  found 
nothing,  they  dug  clams  on  the  flat,  but  some 
days  they  could  get  no  clams,  and  so  they  were 
hungry.  Up  and  down  the  shore  lived  their 
neighbors. 

One  day  Bluejay  said  to  his  sister:  "  Let  us 
go  visiting ;  let  us  visit  the  Magpie."  She  said, 
"  Let  it  be  so.  We  will  go." 

Early  next  morning  they  put  their  canoe  in 

the  water  and  paddled  away,  and  when  they 

came  near  the  Magpie's  house  they  saw  him 

sitting  on  the  roof.     They  landed,  and  went 

19 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

up  to  the  house,  and  the  Magpie  came  down 
from  the  roof,  and  all  went  inside  and  sat  down. 
Blue  jay  and  his  sister  sat  there  and  looked  all 
around,  but  they  saw  no  food.  After  a  little 
while  the  Magpie  swept  his  house,  and  while 
he  was  sweeping  it  out  he  found  one  dry  sal 
mon  egg.  He  put  this  in  the  feathers  of  his 
head.  Then  he  made  a  fire  and  heated  some 
stones.  He  filled  a  basket  -  work  kettle  with 
water,  put  the  salmon  egg  in  the  water,  then 
put  the  stones  in  the  water,  one  after  another, 
and  covered  the  kettle.  Soon  the  water  was 
boiling,  and  when  it  had  boiled  a  little  while 
he  took  off  the  cover,  and  the  kettle  was  full 
of  boiled  salmon  eggs.  The  Magpie  put  the 
kettle  before  Blue  jay  and  his  sister,  and  said, 
"  Eat,  my  friends ;  you  must  be  hungry."  They 
ate  until  they  were  satisfied,  and  still  the  kettle 
was  half  full. 

After  a  time  they  started  to  return  to  their 
house,  taking  with  them  the  kettle  with  the 
food  that  was  left.  When  they  were  about  to 
start,  his  sister  said  to  Blue  jay,  "  You  go  down 
first  to  the  beach."  He  said  to  her,  "  No,  you 
go  down  first."  So  his  sister  went  down  first 
to  the  beach  to  get  the  canoe  ready. 
20 


Bluejay,  the  Imitator 

Blue  jay  said  to  the  Magpie,  "  To  -  morrow 
come  and  visit  us  and  get  your  kettle  and  bring 
it  back  with  you."  The  Magpie  said,  "  It  is 
good;  I  will  go  to  visit  you."  Then  Blue  jay 
and  his  sister  went  home. 

The  next  morning,  early,  Bluejay  went  up 
on  the  roof  of  his  house  and  sat  there.  After 
a  time  he  called  out  to  his  sister,  and  said :  "  A 
canoe  is  coming."  She  answered :  "It  is  com 
ing,  because  you  told  him  to  come."  Pretty 
soon,  as  they  looked,  they  could  see  that  it  was 
the  Magpie  in  the  canoe,  and  at  length  he  land 
ed  and  pulled  his  canoe  up  on  the  beach  and 
walked  up  to  the  house.  Bluejay  came  down 
from  the  roof,  and  they  went  in  and  sat  down. 

Soon  Bluejay  got  up  and  swept  his  house, 
and  found  one  dry  salmon  egg,  which  he  put 
in  his  topknot.  When  he  had  finished  sweep 
ing  his  house,  he  built  a  fire  and  heated  some 
stones  and  filled  a  basket-work  kettle  with  wa 
ter  and  put  in  it  the  salmon  egg,  and  then  the 
hot  stones,  and  covered  the  kettle.  He  did  ev 
erything  just  as  the  Magpie  had  done  it.  Soon 
the  water  boiled,  and  he  took  the  cover  off,  but 
there  was  nothing  in  the  kettle  but  hot  water. 

The  Magpie  said,  "  Bluejay  can  do  only  one 
21 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

thing."  He  took  the  kettle  and  threw  the  stones 
out  of  it.  Then  he  heated  more  stones,  put  a 
dry  salmon  egg  in  the  water,  put  in  the  hot 
stones,  and  covered  the  kettle,  and  soon  the 
water  began  to  boil.  Presently  he  took  the 
cover  off  the  kettle,  and  it  was  full  of  boiled 
salmon  eggs.  Then  the  Magpie  went  down  to 
the  beach  and  put  his  canoe  in  the  water  and 
paddled  away  to  his  home. 

After  several  nights  Blue  jay  and  his  sis 
ter  were  hungry.  Blue  jay  said :  "  Let  us 
go  visiting.  Let  us  go  and  visit  the 
Duck."  "  We  will  go  to  -  morrow,"  said 
his  sister.  The  next  morning  early  they  start 
ed  and  paddled  away  towards  the  Duck's 
house.  After  a  while  they  came  within  sight 
of  the  house,  and  then  landed  on  the  beach  and 
went  up  to  the  house.  After  they  had  sat  a  lit 
tle  while,  the  Duck  said  to  her  five  children, 
"  Go  and  wash  yourselves."  They  went  down 
to  the  beach  and  went  into  the  water  and  wash 
ed  themselves.  Then  they  dived,  and  when 
each  came  to  the  top  of  the  water  it  had  a  trout 
in  its  mouth.  They  put  these  on  a  mat  on 
the  beach.  Ten  times  they  dived,  and  by  that 
time  their  mat  was  full  of  trout.  They  took 
22- 


Bluejay,  the  Imitator 

them  up  to  the  house  and  made  a  fire  and 
roasted  them,  and  when  the  fish  were  cooked 
they  gave  them  to  Bluejay  and  his  sister,  and 
they  ate  part  of  them  and  were  satisfied.  Pretty 
soon  the  visitors  got  ready  to  go,  taking  with 
them  the  food  that  was  left.  loi  said  to  her 
brother :  "  You  go  down  first  to  the  beach,  or 
else  you  will  talk  ever  so  much."  Bluejay  an 
swered  her :  "  No,  you  go  down  first."  So  his 
sister  went  down  first  to  get  the  canoe  ready, 
and  when  she  had  gone,  Bluejay  said  to  the 
Duck :  "  Come  to  my  house  to-morrow  and  get 
your  mat."  The  Duck  said:  " To-morrow  I  will 
go  to  visit  you."  Then  Bluejay  and  his  sister 
paddled  away,  and  soon  came  to  their  house. 

Early  next  morning  Bluejay  got  up  and  went 
up  to  the  roof  of  the  house.  After  he  had  been 
sitting  there  for  some  time,  he  called  out  to  his 
sister :  "  A  canoe  is  coming."  She  said  to  him : 
"  It  comes  because  you  asked  them  to  come." 
Pretty  soon  the  Duck,  with  her  five  children, 
reached  the  beach,  and  after  they  had  pulled 
the  canoe  out  of  the  water,  they  went  up  to  the 
house.  After  they  had  sat  a  while,  Bluejay 
said  to  his  sister's  children :  "  Go  and  wash 
yourselves." 

23 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

The  children  went  down  to  the  beach  and  into 
the  water  and  washed  themselves.  They  tried 
to  dive,  but  no  matter  how  hard  they  might 
try  their  backs  remained  above  the  water.  Ten 
times  they  tried  to  dive,  and  their  feathers  were 
all  wet  and  clinging  to  them,  and  they  were  al 
most  dead  with  cold.  They  came  up  to  the 
house  shivering,  and  not  bringing  anything  with 
them. 

The  Duck  said:  "  Blue  jay  can  do  only  one 
thing."  Then  she  said  to  her  children :  "  Go 
and  wash  yourselves.  We  will  give  them  some 
thing  to  eat."  The  Duck's  children  went  down 
to  the  beach  and  washed  themselves.  They 
dived  ten  times,  and  then  their  mat  was  full  of 
trout.  They  brought  them  up  to  the  house  and 
threw  them  on  the  ground.  Then  the  Ducks 
went  home. 

Some  little  time  after  this  Blue  jay  and  his 
sister  were  again  hungry.  Blue  jay  said:  "  Let 
us  go  and  visit  Black  Bear."  Early  the  next 
morning  they  set  out,  and  before  noon  they 
reached  the  Black  Bear's  house  and  went  in 
and  sat  down. 

They  looked  around.     No  food  was  to  be 
seen.    Pretty  soon  the  Bear  built  a  fire  and  be- 
24 


Bluejay,  the  Imitator 

gan  to  heat  stones.  Bluejay  was  wondering 
what  food  would  be  given  them,  and  he  said 
to  his  sister :  "  What  will  he  give  us  to  eat  ?" 

When  the  stones  were  hot  the  Bear  took  his 
knife  and  cut  the  soles  from  his  feet,  and  cut 
a  big  piece  of  meat  out  of  his  thigh.  Then  he 
rubbed  his  hands  over  the  wounds,  and  at  once 
they  were  healed.  Then  he  cut  the  flesh  that 
he  had  taken  from  his  feet  and  from  his  thigh 
into  small  pieces  and  put  it  in  the  kettle,  and 
put  the  hot  stones  in  the  kettle  and  boiled  it. 
When  it  was  cooked  he  placed  the  kettle  before 
them,  and  said  to  them :  "  Eat,  my  friends ;  you 
must  be  hungry."  They  ate,  and  pretty  soon 
they  were  satisfied.  When  they  were  ready  to 
go  home  loi  said  to  her  brother :  "  You  go  down 
first,  or  else  you  will  be  talking  a  great  deal." 
Bluejay  said :  "  "No,  you  go  down  first."  His 
sister  went,  and  when  she  had  gone  Bluejay 
said  to  the  Bear :  "  Come  to-morrow  and  visit 
us."  The  Bear  said  he  would  do  so ;  then  Blue- 
jay  and  his  sister  went  home  to  their  house. 

Early  the  next  morning  Bluejay  got  up  and 
made  a  fire,  and  went  up  on  the  roof  of  his 
house.  After  a  while,  he  called  out  to  his  sis 
ter  :  "  A  canoe  is  coming,"  and  she  answered : 
25 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

"  It  comes  because  you  invited  -him."  Pretty 
soon  the  Bear  paddled  up  to  the  beach  and 
landed,  and  came  up  to  the  house,  and  they  all 
sat  down.  Blue  jay  began  to  heat  the  stones  in 
the  fire  and  to  get  ready  for  cooking.  When 
the  stones  were  hot  he  sharpened  his  knife  and 
began  to  cut  his  feet,  but,  oh,  it  hurt  him  very 
much.  It  hurt  him  so  much  that  he  fainted 
away.  They  blew  on  him  until  he  recovered. 

The  Bear  said :  "  You  can  do  only  one  thing, 
Bluejay."  The  Bear  took  his  knife  and  slowly 
cut  the  soles  off  his  feet.  He  cut  a  piece  of 
flesh  out  of  his  thigh.  Then  he  rubbed  his  hands 
over  the  wounds  and  immediately  they  were 
healed.  Then  he  cut  the  flesh  in  small  pieces 
and  boiled  it.  When  he  had  finished  cooking 
and  it  was  done,  he  threw  it  down  before  them, 
and  went  home  to  his  house.  Blue  jay's  feet 
were  sore. 

After  a  number  of  nights  they  were  again 
hungry.  Then  Bluejay  said  to  his  sister:  "  Let 
us  go  visiting  again.  To-morrow  we  will  go 
and  visit  the  Beaver."  Early  in  the  morning 
they  started  out,  and  before  very  long  they 
reached  the  Beaver's  house.  The  Beaver  was 
on  the  roof  of  his  house.  He  came  down,  and 
26 


Bluejay,  the  Imitator 

they  went  in  and  sat  down.  After  a  little 
while  the  Beaver  went  out  and  brought  into 
the  house  a  bundle  of  willow  twigs,  which  he 
put  down  before  them.  Then  he  took  a  dish 
and  went  out  and  brought  it  back  filled  with 
mud.  Bluejay  and  his  sister  could  not  eat 
these  things,  and  pretty  soon  they  got  ready  to 
go  home.  As  they  were  about  to  start,  his  sis 
ter  said  to  him :  "  You  go  down  first  to  the 
beach,  or  else  you  will  talk  a  great  deal."  The 
Bluejay  said  to  his  sister:  "  No,  you  go  down 
first."  So  she  went  down  first  to  the  beach. 
When  she  had  gone  Bluejay  said :  "  Come  to  my 
house  to-morrow  to  fetch  your  dish,"  and  the 
Beaver  answered :  "  I  will  come  to-morrow." 

Early  next  morning  Bluejay  got  up  and  made 
a  fire,  and  went  up  on  the  roof  of  his  house. 
After  he  had  sat  there  for  a  while,  he  called 
out  to  his  sister:  "A  canoe  is  coming."  She 
answered :  "  It  comes  because  you  asked  it  to 
come."  The  Beaver  landed  and  came  up  the 
beach  and  entered  the  house,  and  they  all  sat 
down.  Bluejay  went  out  of  the  house,  and  af 
ter  he  had  been  gone  a  little  while  he  came  back 
with  a  bunch  of  willow  twigs,  and  he  put  them 
before  the  Beaver,  who  began  to  eat  them,  and 
27 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

soon  ate  them  all  up.  Then  Bluejay  ran  down 
to  the  beach  and  got  some  mud,  which  he  put 
before  the  Beaver.  The  Beaver  ate  it  all  and 
went  home. 

Not  many  days  after  this  they  were  again 
hungry,  and  Bluejay  said:  "Let  us  go  visit 
ing  again.  To-morrow  let  us  go  to  visit  the 
Seal."  Early  the  next  morning  they  started, 
and  at  length  they  came  to  the  house  of  the 
Seal.  The  Seal  had  five  children.  After  they 
had  been  sitting  a  while  in  her  house,  the  Seal 
said  to  her  children :  "  Go  to  the  beach  and  lie 
down  there."  They  went  down  to  the  edge  of 
the  water  and  lay  there.  Then  the  Seal  took 
a  stick  and  went  down  there,  too,  and  when 
she  reached  her  children  she  struck  the  young 
est  one  on  the  head  and  it  lay  there.  She  said 
to  the  others :  "  Dive  down,"  and  they  did  so, 
and  when  they  came  to  the  surface  of  the  water 
there  were  five  of  them.  Then  she  dragged  up 
to  the  house  the  one  that  she  had  killed  and 
singed  it,  and  when  she  had  finished  singeing  it 
she  cut  it  up.  She  boiled  it,  and  when  it  was 
cooked  she  gave  it  to  Bluejay  and  his  sister. 
They  ate,  and  presently  they  were  satisfied. 
When  they  were  getting  ready  to  go  home  his 
28 


Bluejay,  the  Imitator 

sister  said  to  her  brother :  "  You  go  down  first." 
He  answered :  "  No,  you  go  down  first.  You 
always  want  to  stay  where  they  give  us  food." 
So  his  sister  went  down  to  the  beach.  Then 
Bluejay  said  to  the  Seal :  "  Come  to-morrow  and 
visit  us,  and  fetch  your  kettle."  The  Seal  said : 
"  I  shall  come."  Then  Bluejay  and  his  sister 
went  home  to  their  house. 

Early  next  morning  Bluejay  got  up  and  went 
on  to  the  roof  of  his  house.  After  a  while  he 
called  out  to  his  sister :  "  A  canoe  is  coming." 
She  answered  him :  "  It  comes  because  you  have 
asked  them  to  come."  The  canoe  came  to  the 
beach,  and  the  Seal  and  her  children  landed 
and  pulled  the  canoe  up  on  the  beach,  and  then 
came  up  to  the  house.  Pretty  soon  Bluejay 
said  to  his  sister's  children :  "  Go  to  the  beach 
and  lie  down  there."  The  children  went  and 
lay  down  at  the  edge  of  the  water.  Bluejay 
took  a  stick  and  went  down  and  struck  the 
youngest  one  on  the  head.  Then  he  said  to 
the  other  children :  "  Quick  now,  dive."  They 
dived,  but  when  they  came  up  there  were  only 
four.  Five  times  they  dived,  but  the  one  that 
Bluejay  had  struck  remained  dead.  Then  loi 
and  her  children  cried  for  the  dead  one. 
29 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

The  Seal  said:  "  Blue  jay  only  knows  how  to 
do  one  thing."  She  struck  one  of  her  daugh 
ters  on  the  head  with  a  stick,  and  said  to  the 
others :  "  Quick,  dive."  They  dived,  and  when 
they  came  up  again  all  five  of  them  were  there. 
Then  she  singed  her  daughter,  and  when  she 
had  finished  singeing  her  she  cut  her  up  and 
threw  her  down  before  Blue  jay  and  his  sister, 
saying :  "  You  may  eat  this."  Then  they  tied 
up  and  buried  the  dead  child,  and  the  Seals 
went  home. 

After  a  time  these  two  were  again  hungry, 
and  Blue  jay  said :  "  Let  us  go  and  visit  the 
Shadows."  His  sister  said :  "  We  will  go  to 
morrow."  Early  next  morning  they  started, 
and  at  last  they  reached  the  home  of  the  Shad 
ows  and  went  up  to  the  house.  It  was  full  of 
food,  and  on  the  beds  there  were  lying  orna 
ments,  clothing,  coats,  blankets  of  deer  skin,  of 
mountain-goat  wool,  and  of  ground-hog  skin. 
Blue  jay  said  to  his  sister:  "Where  are  these 
people  ?"  His  sister  answered :  "  They  are 
here,  but  you  cannot  see  them." 

Blue  jay  took  up  one  of  the  large  ear  orna 
ments.  "  Look  out !  You  are  pulling  my  ear, 
Bluejay!"  cried  a  person.  Bluejay  was  sur- 
30 


Bluejay,  the  Imitator 

prised,  for  he  saw  no  one,  and  he  dropped  the 
ear  ornament.  Then  they  heard  many  people 
laughing.  He  took  hold  of  a  ground  -  hog 
blanket,  and  pulled  at  it.  "  Let  go  of  my 
ground  -  hog  blanket,  Blue  jay,"  said  a  person, 
but  he  could  see  no  one.  He  looked  under  the 
bed  for  the  one  who  had  spoken,  and  again  they 
heard  people  laughing.  He  took  up  a  coat  made 
of  goat  wool,  and  somebody  cried  out,  "  Why 
do  you  lift  my  coat,  Blue  jay?"  He  took  hold 
of  a  nose  ornament,  and  a  person  cried,  "  Let 
go  of  my  nose  ornament,  Bluejay."  Then  a 
basket  fell  down  from  above.  He  lifted  it 
up  and  put  it  back.  Then  he  began  to  look  un 
der  the  bed  and  all  through  the  house  for  per 
sons,  and  again  they  heard  many  people  laugh 
ing.  His  sister  said  to  him :  "  Stay  here 
quietly.  They  are  Shadows,  and  so  you  can 
not  see  them."  They  ate  some  of  the  food. 

When  it  got  dark  Bluejay  said,  "  We  will 
sleep  here."  So  they  slept  there  during  the 
night,  but  all  through  the  night  they  had  bad 
dreams,  for  so  the  Shadows  punished  Bluejay, 
because  he  had  teased  them.  Then  Bluejay 
and  his  sister  went  home,  and  his  sister  said, 
"  Now  we  have  gone  visiting  enough." 
31 


Bluejay  Visits  the  Ghosts 


Bluejay  Visits  the  Ghosts 


N"  a  certain  village  there  lived  loi 
and  her  younger  brother,  Bluejay. 
One  night  the  ghosts  went  out  to 
buy  a  wife.  They  bought  loi.  The 
presents  they  gave  for  her  were  not  sent  back; 
they  were  kept.  So  at  night  she  was  married, 
and  when  day  came  loi  was  gone  from  her 
father's  house.  For  a  long  time  Bluejay  did 
nothing;  but  at  length  he  felt  lonely,  and  after 
a  year  had  passed  he  said,  "  I  am  going  to  look 
for  my  elder  sister."  He  started  for  the  coun 
try  of  the  ghosts,  and  on  his  way  he  began  to 
ask  every  one  whom  he  saw,  "  Where  does  a 
person  go  when  he  dies?"  He  asked  all  the 
trees,  but  they  could  not  tell  him.  He  asked  all 
the  birds,  but  they  could  not  tell  him.  At  last 
he  asked  a  Wedge,  and  the  Wedge  said,  "  If 
you  will  pay  me,  I  will  carry  you  there."  He 
35 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

paid,  and  the  Wedge  carried  him  to  the  country 
of  the  ghosts. 

They  came  to  a  large  village,  but  no  smoke 
rose  from  the  houses;  only  from  the  last  house 
— a  big  one — they  saw  smoke  rising.  Blue  jay 
went  into  this  house,  and  there  he  saw  his  elder 
sister.  She  said  to  him :  "  Ah,  my  younger 
brother,  where  do  you  come  from?  Are  you 
dead  ?"  He  answered,  "  !N"o,  I  am  not  dead ; 
the  Wedge  brought  me  here  on  its  back." 

After  a  little  Blue  jay  went  out  and  walked 
through  the  village,  and  began  to  open  the 
doors  of  the  houses  and  to  look  into  them; 
and  when  he  looked  into  them  he  did  not  find 
people  in  any  of  the  houses,  but  only  bones. 
Then  he  came  back  to  where  his  elder  sister 
was.  On  the  bed  near  where  his  sister  was  sit 
ting  lay  a  skull  and  some  bones.  He  asked  her, 
"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that  skull  and 
those  bones  ?"  She  said  to  him,  "  That  is  my 
husband,  your  brother-in-law."  Blue  jay  did 
not  believe  her ;  he  said  to  himself :  "  loi  is 
telling  lies.  She  says  a  skull  and  bones  is  my 
brother-in-law !" 

When  it  got  dark  people  began  to  appear, 
and  soon  the  house  was  full.     It  was  a  large 
36 


Bluejay  Visits  the  Ghosts 

house,  but  there  were  many  people  in  it.  Blue- 
jay  said  to  his  elder  sister,  "  Where  have  all 
these  people  come  from  ?"  She  answered  him : 
"  Do  you  think  that  they  are  people  ?  They  are 
ghosts.  They  are  ghosts."  Now  these  people 
always  spoke  in  whispers,  and  Bluejay  could 
ntit  hear  what  they  said,  and  did  not  understand 
them. 

He  stayed  a  long  time  with  his  elder  sister. 
One  day  she  said  to  him :  "  Why  do  you  not 
do  as  they  do?  Go  fishing  with  them,  with 
your  dip-net."  He  said,  "  I  will  do  so."  When 
it  got  dark  he  made  ready  to  go,  and  a  boy  also 
made  ready.  His  sister  said :  "  This  is  your 
brother-in-law's  relation.  You  two  had  better 
go  together.  Do  not  speak  much  to  him.  Keep 
silent." 

They  put  their  canoe  in  the  water  and  start 
ed,  and  as  they  were  paddling  down  the  river 
they  saw  ahead  of  them  some  people,  also  go 
ing  down  the  river  in  a  canoe  and  singing. 
When  they  had  almost  overtaken  them  Blue- 
jay  began  to  sing  too,  joining  in  their  song, 
and  at  once  the  people  were  silent.  He  looked 
back  at  the  boy  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  but 
now  there  was  no  boy  there,  only  a  pile  of 
37 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

bones.  The  noise  Bluejay  made  caused  the 
boy  to  disappear,  and  only  bones  were  left. 
Now,  as  they  floated  down  the  stream,  Bluejay 
sat  silent,  and  was  wondering  what  all  this 
meant,  and  pretty  soon  when  he  looked  back 
at  the  stern  of  the  canoe  the  boy  was  sitting 
there  again.  Bluejay  said  to  him,  speaking 
slowly  and  in  a  low  voice,  "  Where  is  your  fish 
ing-fence  ?"  The  boy  answered,  "  It  is  beyond 
here,  down  the  stream."  They  went  on  far 
ther;  then  Bluejay  said  out  loud  and  sudden 
ly,  "  Where  is  your  fishing  -  fence  ?"  Only 
bones  were  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe.  Again 
Bluejay  was  silent,  and  when  he  next  looked 
back  the  boy  was  again  in  the  canoe.  Blue- 
jay  again  spoke  to  him  in  low  tones,  and  said, 
"  Where  is  your  fishing-fence  ?"  The  boy  an 
swered,  "  Here." 

Now  they  began  to  fish,  Bluejay  using  the 
dip-net,  while  the  boy  held  the  canoe.  Soon 
Bluejay  felt  something  in  his  net  and  raised 
it,  but  only  two  dead  branches  were  in  it.  He 
threw  them  out,  and  again  put  his  net  into  the 
water.  Again  he  felt  something  in  it  and  raised 
it,  and  it  was  full  of  leaves.  He  threw  them 
out,  but  a  part  of  the  leaves  fell  in  the  canoe, 
38 


"THKRK    WAS   NO   BUY    TI1EHK,   ONLY    A    PILE    OF    BONES " 


Bluejay  Visits  the  Ghosts 

and  the  boy  gathered  them  up.  Again  he  caught 
a  branch  and  threw  it  out  into  the  water ;  again 
he  caught  some  leaves  and  threw  them  out,  but 
a  part  of  them  fell  in  the  canoe.  The  boy 
gathered  them  up.  Again  he  caught  two 
branches — both  large  ones.  He  was  pleased 
with  these  branches,  and  said  to  himself,  "  I 
will  take  these  back  to  loi;  she  can  use  them 
to  build  her  fire."  At  length  they  turned  back 
and  went  homeward  and  reached  the  village. 
Bluejay  was  angry  because  he  had  caught  noth 
ing. 

When  they  went  up  from  the  beach  to  the 
houses  the  boy  was  carrying  a  mat  full  of  trout. 
After  the  trout  were  roasted  and  the  people 
were  eating  them,  the  boy  talked  a  great  deal, 
saying :  "  He  threw  out  of  the  canoe  all  that 
he  had  caught.  If  he  had  not  thrown  it  away, 
our  canoe  would  have  been  almost  full."  His 
elder  sister  said  to  Bluejay,  "  Why  did  you 
throw  away  what  you  had  caught  ?"  "  I  threw 
away  what  I  caught  because  they  were 
branches,"  said  Bluejay.  His  sister  said:  "Do 
you  think  they  were  branches?  That  is  our 
food.  When  you  caught  leaves,  those  were 
trout.  When  you  caught  branches,  those  were 
39 


The  Punishment  of  the   Stingy 

fall  salmon."  Blue  jay  did  not  believe  this. 
He  said  to  her :  "  I  brought  home  to  you  two 
branches.  You  can  use  them  to  make  your 
fire."  His  sister  went  to  the  beach  and  found 
two  fall  salmon  in  the  canoe.  She  took  them 
up  to  the  house  and  went  in,  carrying  them  in 
her  hand.  Bluejay  said  to  her,  "  Where  did 
you  steal  those  fall  salmon,  loi?"  She  an 
swered,  "  These  are  what  you  caught."  Blue- 
jay  said  to  himself,  "  loi  keeps  telling  lies  to 
me  all  the  time." 

When  day  came  Bluejay  went  down  to  the 
water's  edge,  to  the  beach.  There  on  the  beach 
were  the  canoes  of  the  ghosts.  They  were  old 
and  full  of  holes,  and  partly  grown  over  with 
moss.  He  went  up  to  the  house  and  said  to 
his  sister,  "How  bad  your  husband's  canoes  are, 
loi."  She  answered,  "After  this  keep  quiet, 
or  the  people  will  get  tired  of  you."  But  he 
repeated,  "  The  canoes  of  these  people  are  full 
of  holes."  She  said  to  him,  angrily :  "  People  ? 
people  ?  They  are  ghosts." 

When  it  again  grew  dark  Bluejay  again  made 

himself  ready,  and  the  boy  got  ready,  and  they 

went  fishing.     !N"ow  Bluejay  teased  that  boy. 

As  they  were  going  along  he  shouted,  and  only 

40 


"ONLY  BONES   LAY   THERE" 


Bluejay  Visits  the  Ghosts 

bones  were  in  the  canoe.  He  did  this  several 
times,  but  at  last  they  reached  the  fishing-place, 
and  began  to  fish  with  the  dip-net.  Now  Blue- 
jay  took  into  the  canoe  all  the  branches  that 
he  caught,  and  all  the  leaves,  and  when  the 
tide  began  to  fall  their  canoe  was  full,  and  they 
started  homeward.  Now  he  began  to  tease  the 
ghosts,  and  when  they  met  one  he  shouted, 
and  only  bones  were  in  the  canoe.  At  last 
they  reached  home,  and  he  carried  up  to  his 
sister's  house  part  of  what  he  had  caught. 
She  also  carried  up  a  part  —  salmon  of  two 
kinds. 

The  next  morning  when  it  became  day  he 
went  through  the  village  again,  and  he  found 
many  bones  in  those  houses. 

It  got  dark,  and  some  one  said,  "  A  whale 
has  been  found."  His  elder  sister  gave  him  a 
knife,  and  said  to  him,  "  Quick,  run  I  a  whale 
has  been  found."  Then  Bluejay  ran  fast,  and 
when  he  reached  the  beach  he  met  some  of  those 
people.  He  called  out  to  them  in  a  loud  voice, 
asking  them,  "  Where  is  this  whale  ?"  Only 
bones  lay  where  the  people  had  stood.  He  kick 
ed  the  skulls  out  of  the  way  and  ran  on  a  long 
distance,  and  met  some  other  people.  Again 
41 


Bluejay  Visits  the  Ghosts 

ed  all  these  ghosts,  and  after  a  while  he  had  a 
great  deal  of  whale  meat. 

Bluejay  continued  to  live  there.  One  day 
he  went  into  a  house  in  the  village  and  took  a 
child's  skull  and  put  it  on  the  bones  of  a  grown 
up  person.  He  took  the  large  skull  and  put  it 
on  the  child's  bones.  Thus  he  did  to  all  these 
people.  When  night  came  the  child  sat  up,  in 
tending  to  rise  to  its  feet,  but  it  fell  over.  Its 
head  was  so  heavy  that  it  threw  it  down.  The 
old  man  got  up.  His  head  was  light.  The 
next  morning  when  it  became  day  he  changed 
these  heads  back  again.  Sometimes  he  changed 
the  legs  of  the  ghosts,  so  that  he  gave  small 
legs  to  an  old  man  and  large  legs  to  a  child. 
Sometimes  he  gave  a  man's  legs  to  a  woman, 
and  a  woman's  legs  to  a  man.  After  a  time  the 
ghosts  began  to  dislike  him.  loi's  husband  said 
to  her:  "  These  people  dislike  Bluejay  because 
he  treats  them  in  this  way.  It  will  be  good  for 
you  to  tell  him  to  go  away  to  his  home,  for  now 
people  do  not  like  him."  loi  tried  to  stop  her 
younger  brother,  but  he  would  not  listen  to  her. 
Now  again  when  it  became  day  Bluejay  arose 
early.  loi  had  in  her  arms  a  skull.  Bluejay 
threw  it  away,  saying,  "  Why  does  she  hold 
43 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

that  skull  in  her  arms  ?"  She  said  to  him, 
"  Ah !  you  have  broken  your  brother-in-law's 
neck."  It  became  night,  and  his  brother-in-law 
was  sick.  His  relations  tried  to  cure  him,  and 
pretty  soon  the  brother-in-law  got  well. 

Now  Blue  jay  started  to  go  to  his  home.  But 
as  he  was  going  home  he  got  caught  in  a  fire, 
and  was  burned  and  died.  Then  he  started 
back  for  the  country  of  the  ghosts.  When  he 
came  to  the  river  he  called  out  to  his  elder  sis 
ter,  and  she  said,  "  Ah,  my  brother  is  dead." 

She  put  her  canoe  into  the  water  and  went 
across  the  river  to  fetch  him.  When  she  reach 
ed  him  he  said  to  her,  "  Your  canoe  is  pretty, 
loi."  She  said  to  him,  "  You  used  to  say  that 
canoe  was  grown  over  with  moss."  Bluejay 
thought :  "  loi  is  always  telling  lies  to  me.  The 
other  canoes  had  holes  and  were  moss-covered." 
She  said  to  him,  "  You  are  dead  now ;  that 
makes  the  difference."  Bluejay  thought,  "  loi 
keeps  telling  lies  to  me." 

Soon  she  carried  him  to  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  and  he  saw  the  people.  They  were  play 
ing  games  —  dice  and  the  ring  game  —  and 
dancing  —  turn,  turn,  ium,  turn  —  and  singing. 
Bluejay  wanted  to  go  to  these  singers.  He  tried 
44 


Bluejay  Visits  the  Ghosts 

to  sing  and  to  call  out  loud,  but  they  laughed 
at  him.  Then  he  went  into  his  brother-in-law's 
house.  There  sat  a  chief,  a  good-looking  man ; 
it  was  lof  s  husband.  loi  said,  "  And  you 
broke  his  neck."  Bluejay  thought,  "  loi  keeps 
telling  me  lies." 

"  Where  did  these  canoes  come  from  ?  They 
are  pretty."  loi  answered,  "  And  you  said 
they  were  moss-grown."  Bluejay  thought: 
"  loi  is  always  telling  lies.  The  others  were 
full  of  holes,  and  were  partly  overgrown  with 
moss."  "  You  are  dead  now,"  said  his  sister ; 
"  that  makes  the  difference." 

Then  Bluejay  gave  it  up  and  became 
quiet. 


The  Girl  Who  Was  the  Ring 


The  Girl  Who  Was  the  Ring' 


Y  the  bank  of  a  river  stood  a  lodge, 
in  which  lived  four  brothers  and 
their  sister.  The  boys  made  arrows. 
To  the  branch  of  a  tree  in  front  of 
the  lodge  they  had  hung  a  rawhide  strap,  such 
as  women  use  for  carrying  wood,  so  as  to  make 
a  swing  for  the  girl. 

Whenever  their  meat  was  all  gone  and  they 
began  to  get  hungry,  the  girl  used  to  send  her 
brothers  into  the  timber  to  cut  dogwood  shoots 
to  make  arrows.  When  the  arrows  were  ready, 
she  would  get  into  the  swing  and  the  boys 
would  swing  her.  As  the  swing  moved,  they 

*  Of  all  the  games  played  by  men  among  the  Pawnee 
Indians,  none  was  so  popular  as  thvs  stick  game.  This 
was  an  athletic  contest  between  pairs  of  young  men,  and 
tested  their  fleetness,  their  eyesight,  and  their  skill  in 
throwing  thfe  stick.  The  implements  used  were  a  ring 
six  inches  in  diameter,  made  of  buffalo  rawhide,  and 
two  elaborate  and  highly  ornamented  slender  sticks,  one 
for  each  player.  One  of  the  two  contestants  rolled  the 

D  49 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

would  see  dust  rising  all  around  the  horizon, 
and  would  know  that  the  Buffalo  were  coming. 
Then  all  four  boys  would  take  their  bows  and 
arrows,  and  stand  about  the  swing  so  as  to 
protect  the  j  girl  and  not  let  the  Buffalo 
come  near  her.  When  the  Buffalo  had  come 
close,  the  boys  would  kill  them  in  a  circle  all 
about  the  swing.  They  would  quickly  carry 
the  girl  into  the  lodge,  and  would  kill  so  many 
Buffalo  that  the  rest  would  be  frightened  and 
run  away.  So  they  would  have  plenty  to  eat, 
and  the  dried  meat  would  be  piled  high  in  the 
lodge. 

One  day  the  boys  went  out  to  get  wood  for 
arrows,  and  left  the  girl  in  the  lodge  alone. 
While  they  were  away  a  Coyote  came  to  the 
lodge  and  talked  to  the  girl.  He  said  to  her : 
"  Granddaughter,  I  am  very  poor,  and  I  am 

ring  over  a  smooth  prepared  course,  and  when  it  had 
been  set  in  motion  the  players  ran  after  it  side  by  side, 
each  one  trying  to  throw  his  stick  through  the  ring. 
This  was  hot,  of  ten  done,  but  the  players  constantly  hit 
the  ring  with  their  sticks  and  knocked  it  down,  so  that 
it  ceased  to  roll.  The  system  of  counting  was  by  points, 
and  was  somewhat  complicated,  but  in  general  terms  it 
may  be  said  that  the  player  whose  stick  lay  nearest  the 
ring  gained  one  or  more  points.  In  this  story,  the  Buf 
falo  by  their  mysterious  power  transformed  the  girl  into 
a  ring,  which  they  used  in  playing  the  stick  game. 

50 


The  Girl  Who  Was  the  Ring 

very  hungry.  I  have  no  meat  in  my  lodge, 
and  my  children  also  are  hungry.  I  told  my 
relations  that  I  was  coming  to  ask  you  for  food, 
and  they  have  been  laughing  at  me.  They 
said,  '  Your  granddaughter  will  not  give  you 
anything  to  eat.' ' 

The  girl  answered  him :  "  Grandfather,  here 
is  plenty  of  meat.  This  house  is  full  of  it. 
Take  what  you  want.  Take  the  fattest  pieces. 
Take  it  to  your  children.  Let  them  eat." 

The  Coyote  began  to  cry.  He  said :  "  Yes, 
my  relations  laughed  at  me  when  I  said  I  was 
going  to  visit  you  and  ask  you  for  something  to 
eat.  They  said  you  would  not  give  me  any 
thing.  I  do  not  want  any  dried  meat — I  want 
some  fresh  meat  to  take  to  my  children.  Have 
pity  on  me,  and  let  me  put  you  in  the  swing, 
so  as  to  bring  the  Buffalo.  I  do  not  want  to 
swing  you  hard  so  as  to  bring  the  Buffalo  in 
great  herds.  I  want  to  swing  you  only  a  lit 
tle  so  as  to  bring  a  few  Buffalo.  I  have  a 
quiver  full  of  arrows  to  keep  the  Buffalo  off." 

The  girl  said :  "  No,  grandfather,  I  cannot 
do  this.  My  brothers  are  away.  Without 
them  we  can  do  nothing." 

Then  the  Coyote  slapped  his  breast  and  said : 
51 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

"  Look  at  me.  Am  I  not  a  man  and  strong  ? 
I  can  run  around  you  fast,  after  you  are  in 
the  swing,  and  I  can  keep  the  Buffalo  off.  I 
can  shoot  clear  through  a  Buffalo.  I  have 
plenty  of  arrows,  and  I  need  only  use  a  single 
one  for  each  Buffalo.  Come  on,  I  want  to 
swing  you  just  a  little,  so  that  but  few  Buffalo 
will  come."  So  he  coaxed  the  girl,  but  still 
she  refused. 

After  he  had  begged  her  for  a  long  time, 
she  agreed  to  let  him  swing  her  a  little,  and 
got  in  the  swing.  He  began  to  swing  her,  at 
first  gently,  but  all  at  once  he  pushed  her 
very  hard,  and  kept  doing  this  until  she  swung 
high.  She  screamed  and  cried,  and  tried  to  get 
off  the  swing,  but  it  was  now  too  late.  All 
around — from  all  sides — the  Buffalo  were  com 
ing  in  great  crowds.  The  Coyote  had  made 
ready  his  arrows,  and  was  running  around 
the  girl,  trying  to  kill  the  Buffalo  and 
keep  them  off,  but  they  crowded  upon  him — 
so  many  that  he  could  do  nothing — and  at  last 
he  got  frightened  and  ran  into  the  lodge.  The 
Buffalo  were  now  just  all  over  the  ground 
about  the  lodge,  and  suddenly  one  of  the  young 
Bulls,  the  leader  of  a  big  band,  as  he  passed 
52 


The  Girl  Who  Was   the   Ring 

under  the  swing,  threw  up  his  head,  and  the 
girl  disappeared,  but  the  Coyote,  peeping  out 
of  the  lodge  door,  saw  on  the  horn  of  this  Bull 
a  ring,  and  then  he  knew  that  this  ring  was  the 
girl.  Then  the  Bull  ran  away  fast,  and  all  the 
Buffalo  ran  after  him. 

When  the  Buffalo  had  gone,  the  Coyote  came 
out  of  the  lodge  and  saw  that  the  girl  was  not 
there.  He  did  not  know  what  to  do.  He  was 
frightened.  Pretty  soon  he  heard  the  girl's 
brothers  coming.  They  had  seen  the  dust,  and 
knew  that  some  one  was  swinging  their  sister, 
and  that  the  Buffalo  had  come.  They  hurried 
back,  running  fast,  and  when  they  reached  the 
lodge  they  found  the  Coyote  just  dragging  him 
self  out  of  a  mud-hole.  He  crawled  out,  cry 
ing,  and  pretended  that  the  Buffalo  had  run 
over  him  and  trampled  him.  His  bow  and  ar 
rows  were  in  the  mud.  He  told  the  brothers 
his  story  and  said  that  he  had  tried  hard  to 
save  the  girl,  but  that  he  had  not  known  that 
so  many  Buffalo  would  come.  He  said  he  had 
thought  that  the  girl  must  be  swung  high,  so 
that  the  Buffalo  could  see  her  from  a  long  way 
off. 

The  brothers  felt  very  sorry  that  their  sis- 
53 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

ter  was  lost.  They  counselled  together  to  see 
what  they  should  do,  trying  to  decide  what 
would  be  the  best  plan  to  get  her  back  again. 
While  they  were  talking  about  this,  the  Coyote, 
with  all  the  mud  upon  him,  stood  before  them 
and  said :  "  Brothers,  do  not  feel  sorry  because 
your  sister  is  lost.  I  will  get  her  back  again. 
Live  on  just  as  you  always  do.  Do  not  think 
about  this.  Do  not  let  it  trouble  you.  I  will 
get  her  back  again."  After  he  had  spoken  thus, 
he  said,  "  ^N"ow  I  am  going  to  start  off  on  the 
war-path,"  and  he  left  them  and  went  away. 

He  journeyed  on  alone  considering  what  he 
should  do,  and  at  length,  as  he  was  travelling 
along  over  the  prairie,  he  met  a  Badger,  who 
said  to  him,  "  Brother,  where  are  you  going  ?" 
The  Coyote  said :  "  I  am  going  on  the  war 
path  against  my  enemies.  Will  you  join  my 
party?"  The  Badger  said,  "Yes,  I  will  join 
you."  They  went  on.  After  they  had  gone  a 
long  way,  they  saw  a  Swift  Hawk  sitting  on 
the  limb  of  a  tree  by  a  ravine.  He  asked  them 
where  they  were  going,  and  they  told  him,  and 
asked  him  if  he  would  go  with  them.  He  said 
he  would  go.  After  a  time  they  met  a  Kit 
Fox,  and  asked  him  to  join  them,  and  he  did 
54 


The  Girl  Who  Was  the  Ring 

so.  Then  they  met  a  Jack  Rabbit,  who  said 
he  would  go  with  them.  They  went  on,  and  at 
length  they  met  a  Blackbird,  and  asked  him  to 
join  them.  He  said :  "  Let  it  be  so.  I  will 
go." 

Soon  after  they  had  all  got  together  they 
stopped  and  sat  down,  and  the  Coyote  told  them 
how  the  girl  had  been  lost,  and  said  that  he 
intended  to  try  to  get  her  back.  Then  they 
talked,  and  the  Coyote  told  them  the  plan  that 
he — the  leader — had  made.  The  others  lis 
tened,  and  said  that  they  would  do  whatever 
he  told  them  to  do.  They  were  all  glad  to  help 
to  recover  the  girl. 

Then  they  all  stood  up  and  made  ready  to 
start,  and  the  Coyote  said  to  the  Blackbird, 
"  Friend,  you  stay  here  until  the  time  comes." 
So  the  Blackbird  remained  there  where  they 
had  been  talking,  and  the  others  went  on.  Af 
ter  they  had  gone  some  distance  farther,  the 
Coyote  told  the  Hawk  to  stop  and  wait  there. 
He  did  so.  The  others  went  on  a  long  way, 
and  then  the  Coyote  said  to  the  Rabbit,  "  You 
stay  here."  The  others  went  on,  and  at  the 
next  stopping-place  he  left  the  Kit  Fox;  and 
at  the  next — last  of  all — he  left  the  Badger. 
55 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

Then  the  Coyote  went  on  alone  and  travelled 
a  long  way,  and  at  length  he  came  to  the  Buf 
falo  camp.  He  went  out  to  the  place  where  the 
young  Bulls  used  to  play  the  stick  game,  and 
lay  down  there.  It  was  early  in  the  morn 
ing. 

After  a  time  some  of  the  young  Bulls  came 
out,  and  began  to  roll  the  ring  and  to  throw 
their  sticks  at  it.  The  Coyote  now  pretended 
to  be  very  sick.  His  hair  was  all  covered  with 
mud,  and  his  tongue  hung  out  of  his  mouth, 
and  he  staggered  about  and  fell  down  and  then 
got  up  again,  and  seemed  to  feel  badly.  Some 
times  he  would  get  over  near  to  where  the  ring 
was  being  rolled,  and  then  the  young  Bulls 
would  call  out :  "  Here,  hold  on !  Get  away 
there!  Don't  get  in  the  way." 

After  a  little  while  the  Coyote  pretended  that 
he  felt  better,  and  he  got  up  and  went  over  to 
where  the  young  Bulls  were  sitting,  looking  on 
at  the  game,  and  sat  down  with  them,  and 
watched  the  play  with  the  others.  Every  now 
and  then  two  of  the  young  Bulls  would  begin 
to  dispute  over  the  game,  each  saying  that  his 
stick  was  the  nearer  to  the  ring,  and  sometimes 
they  would  wrangle  for  a  long  time.  Once, 
56 


The  Girl  Who  Was  the  Ring 

while  they  were  doing  this,  the  Coyote  went  up 
to  them  and  said :  "  Here !  You  men  need  not 
quarrel  about  this.  Let  me  look.  I  know  all 
about  this  game.  I  can  tell  which  stick  is  the 
nearer."  The  Bulls  stopped  talking  and  looked 
at  him,  and  then  said :  "  Yes,  let  him  look.  Let 
us  hear  what  he  says."  Then  the  Coyote  went 
up  to  the  ring  and  looked,  and  said,  pointing: 
"  That  stick  is  nearest.  That  man  has  won." 
The  Bulls  looked  at  each  other,  and  nodded 
their  heads  and  said :  "  He  knows.  He  is 
right."  The  next  time  they  had  a  dispute,  he 
decided  it  again,  and  all  were  satisfied. 

At  length  two  of  the  young  Bulls  had  a  very 
fierce  dispute,  and  almost  came  to  fighting  over 
it.  The  Coyote  came  up  and  looked,  and  said : 
"  This  is  very  close.  I  must  look  carefully, 
but  I  cannot  see  well  if  you  are  all  crowding 
around  me  in  this  way.  I  must  have  room. 
You  would  all  better  go  over  to  that  hill,  and 
sit  down  there  and  wait  for  me  to  decide." 
The  Bulls  all  went  over  to  the  hill  and  sat 
down,  and  then  the  Coyote  began  to  look.  First 
he  would  go  to  one  stick  and  look  carefully, 
and  then  he  would  go  to  the  other  and  look. 
The  sticks  were  about  the  same  distance  from 
57 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

the  ring,  and  for  a  long  time  it  seemed  that 
he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  which  was  the 
nearer.  He  went  backward  and  forward,  look 
ing  at  the  sticks,  and  stooping  down  and  putting 
his  hands  on  his  knees  and  squinting,  and  at 
last,  when  once  his  face  was  close  to  the  ground, 
he  suddenly  snatched  up  the  ring  in  his  mouth, 
and  started,  running  as  hard  as  he  could,  for 
the  place  where  he  had  left  the  Badger. 

As  soon  as  he  had  started,  all  the  Bulls  on 
the  hill  saw  what  he  was  doing  —  that  he 
was  taking  the  ring  away  from  them  —  and 
they  started  after  him.  They  did  not  want 
to  lose  the  ring,  for  it  was  very  useful 
to  them,  and  they  played  with  it  all  the  time. 
When  the  Buffalo  in  the  camp  saw  that  the 
young  Bulls  had  started,  they  all  followed,  so 
that  soon  all  the  Buffalo  were  rushing  after  the 
Coyote.  He  ran  fast,  and  for  a  long  time  he 
kept  ahead  of  the  Buffalo,  but  they  followed, 
a  great  mass  of  Buffalo  crowding  and  pushing, 
running  as  hard  as  they  could  run.  At  last 
the  Coyote  was  beginning  to  get  tired,  and  was 
running  more  slowly,  and  the  Buffalo  were  be 
ginning  to  catch  up  to  him,  but  he  was  getting 
near  to  where  the  Badger  was.  After  a  time 
58 


The  Girl  Who  Was  the  Ring 

the  Buffalo  were  getting  nearer  to  the  Coyote. 
He  was  very  tired,  and  it  seemed  to  him  as  if 
he  could  not  run  any  farther.  If  he  did  not 
soon  get  to  where  he  had  left  the  Badger,  the 
Buffalo  would  run  over  him  and  trample  him 
to  death,  and  get  back  the  ring.  At  length, 
when  they  were  close  behind  him,  he  ran  over 
the  top  of  a  little  hill,  and  down  in  the  valley 
below  saw  the  Badger  sitting  at  the  mouth  of 
his  hole.  The  Coyote  raced  down  the  hill  as 
fast  as  he  could,  and  when  he  got  to  the  hole 
he  gave  the  ring  to  the  Badger,  and  just  as  the 
herd  of  Buffalo  got  to  the  place,  they  both 
dived  down  into  the  hole. 

The  Buffalo  crowded  about  the  Badger's 
hole,  and  began  to  paw  the  ground,  to  dig  it 
up  so  as  to  get  the  Coyote  and  the  ring,  but 
the  Badger  liad  dug  a  hole  a  long  way  under 
the  ground,  and  while  the  Buffalo  were  digging 
he  ran  along  through  this  hole  and  came  out 
far  off,  and  ran  as  hard  as  he  could  towards 
the  brothers'  lodge.  Before  he  had  gone  very 
far,  some  of  the  Buffalo  on  the  outside  of  the 
herd  saw  him,  and  called  out  to  the  others: 
"  There  he  is !  There  he  goes !"  Then  all  the 
Buffalo  started  again  and  ran  after  the  Badger. 
59 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

When  they  had  come  pretty  close  to  him,  he 
would  stop  running  and  dig  another  hole,  and 
while  the  Buffalo  were  crowding  around  the 
hole,  trying  to  dig  him  out,  he  would  dig  along 
under  the  ground,  until  he  had  got  far  beyond 
them,  and  would  then  come  to  the  top  of  the 
ground,  and  run  as  fast  as  he  could  towards  the 
lodge.  Then  the  Buffalo  would  see  him  and 
follow  him. 

In  this  way  he  went  a  long  distance,  but  at 
length  he  got  tired  and  felt  that  he  could  not 
run  or  dig  much  farther.  He  was  almost  spent. 
At  last,  when  he  dug  out  of  the  ground,  he 
saw  not  far  off  the  Kit  Fox,  lying  curled  upon 
a  rock,  asleep  in  the  sun.  He  called  out :  "  Oh, 
my  brother,  I  am  almost  tired  out !  Help  me  !" 
The  Kit  Fox  jumped  up  and  ran  to  him  and 
took  the  ring  in  his  mouth  and  started  run 
ning,  and  the  Badger  dug  a  deep  hole,  and 
stayed  there.  The  little  Fox  ran  fast,  gliding 
along  like  a  bird;  and  the  Buffalo,  when  they 
saw  him  running,  chased  him  and  ran  hard. 

The  Kit  Fox  is  a  swift  animal,  and  for  a  long 

time  he  kept  ahead  of  the  Buffalo.     When  he 

was   almost  tired  out,  he  came  to  where  the 

Rabbit  was,  and  gave  him  the  ring,  and  ran 

60 


The  Girl  Who  Was  the  Ring 

into  a  hole,  and  the  Rabbit  ran  on.  The  Buf 
falo  followed  the  Rabbit,  but  he  ran  fast  and 
kept  ahead  of  them  for  a  long  time.  When 
they  had  almost  caught  him,  he  came  to  where 
the  Hawk  was  sitting.  The  Hawk  took  the 
ring  in  his  claws  and  flew  off  with  it,  and  the 
Rabbit  ran  off  to  one  side  and  hid  in  the  long 
grass.  The  Buffalo  followed  the  Hawk,  and 
ran  after  him.  They  seemed  never  to  get 
tired.  The  Hawk,  after  he  had  been  flying  a 
long  time,  began  to  feel  very  weary.  He 
would  sail  down  low  over  the  Buffalo's  backs, 
and  was  only  just  able  to  keep  above  them.  At 
last  he  got  near  to  where  the  Blackbird  was. 

When  the  Blackbird  heard  the  pounding  of 
many  hoofs  and  knew  that  the  Buffalo  were 
coming,  he  flew  up  on  a  sunflower  stalk  and 
waited.  When  the  Buffalo  came  to  the  place 
where  he  was,  he  flew  up  over  them  to  the 
Hawk,  and  took  the  ring  on  his  neck,  and 
flew  along  over  the  Buffalo.  The  ring  was 
heavy  for  so  small  a  bird,  and  he  would 
alight  on  the  backs  of  the  Buffalo  and  fly  from 
one  to  another.  The  Buffalo  would  toss  their 
heads  and  try  to  hit  him  with  their  horns,  but 
he  kept  flying  from  one  to  another,  and  the 
61 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

Buffalo  behind  were  always  pushing  forward 
to  get  near  the  ring,  and  they  pushed  the  other 
Buffalo  ahead  of  them.  Pretty  soon  the  herd 
passed  over  a  hill  and  were  rushing  down  to 
the  place  on  the  river  where  the  brothers'  lodge 
stood. 

Ever  since  their  sister  had  been  lost,  the 
brothers  had  been  making  arrows,  and  now 
they  had  piles  of  them  stacked  up  about  the 
lodge.  When  they  saw  the  Buffalo  coming  they 
got  their  bows  and  took  their  arrows  in  their 
hands,  and  shot  and  shot  until  they  had  killed 
many,  many  Buffalo,  and  the  rest  were  fright 
ened  and  ran  away. 

The  Blackbird  had  flown  into  the  lodge  with 
the  ring,  and  after  the  brothers  had  finished 
killing,  they  went  into  the  lodge.  And  there, 
sitting  by  the  fire  and  smiling  at  them  as  they 
came  in,  they  saw  their  sister. 


The  First  Corn 


The  First  Corn 


time  ago  there  lived  in  the 
Pawnee  village  a  young  man  who 
was  a  great  gambler.  Every  day  he 
layed  at  sticks,  and  he  was  almost 
always  unlucky.  Sometimes  he  would  lose 
everything  that  he  had,  and  would  even  lose 
things  belonging  to  his  father.  His  father  had 
often  scolded  him  about  gambling,  and  had 
told  him  that  he  ought  to  stop  it.  There  were 
two  things  that  he  never  staked;  these  two 
things  were  his  shield  and  his  lance. 

One  day  he  played  sticks  for  a  long  time,  and 
when  he  got  through  he  had  lost  everything  that 
he  had  except  these  two  things.  When  he  went 
home  at  night  to  his  father's  lodge  he  told  his 
relations  what  he  had  done,  and  his  father  said 
to  him :  "  My  son,  for  a  long  time  you  have 
been  doing  this,  and  I  have  many  times  spoken 
E  65 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

to  you  about  it.  Now  I  have  done.  I  cannot 
have  you  here  any  longer.  You  cannot  live 
here  in  my  lodge  or  in  this  village.  You  must 
go  away." 

The  young  man  thought  about  it  for  a  little 
while,  and  then  he  said :  "  Well,  I  will  go.  It 
does  not  make  much  difference  where  I  am." 
So  he  took  his  shield  and  his  spear  and  went 
out  of  the  lodge  and  started  to  go  away  from 
the  village.  When  he  got  outside  of  the  vil 
lage  and  had  gone  some  distance,  he  heard  be 
hind  him  a  loud  rushing  sound  like  a  strong 
wind — the  sound  kept  getting  nearer  and  loud 
er  —  and  all  at  once  it  was  above  him,  and 
then  the  sound  stopped,  and  something  spoke 
to  him  and  said :  "  Well,  I  am  here.  I  have 
come  to  find  you.  I  have  been  sent,  and  am 
here  on  purpose  to  get  you  and  take  you 
with  me."  The  voice  that  spoke  to  him  was 
the  Wind. 

The  Wind  took  the  young  man  up  and  car 
ried  him  away  towards  the  west.  They  trav 
elled  many  days,  and  passed  over  broad  prairies 
and  then  across  high  mountains  and  then  over 
high,  wide  plains  and  over  other  mountains  un 
til  they  came  to  the  end  of  the  world,  where 
66 


The   First  Corn 

the  sky  bends  down  and  touches  the  ground. 
The  last  thing  the  young  man  saw  was  the  gate 
through  the  edge  of  the  sky.  A  great  buffalo 
bull  stands  in  this  gateway  and  blocks  it  up. 
He  had  to  move  to  one  side  to  let  the  Wind 
and  the  young  man  pass  through. 

Every  year  one  hair  drops  from  the  hide  of 
this  bull.  When  all  have  fallen  the  end  of  the 
world  will  come. 

After  they  had  passed  through  this  gate  they 
went  on,  and  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  passing 
over  a  big  water.  There  was  nothing  to  be  seen 
except  the  sky  and  the  water.  At  last  they 
came  to  a  land.  Here  were  many  people — great 
crowds  of  them.  The  Wind  told  the  young 
man,  "  These  are  all  wraiters  on  the  Father." 
They  went  on,  and  at  last  came  to  the  Father's 
lodge  and  went  in.  When  they  had  sat  down 
the  Father  spoke  to  the  young  man  and  said 
to  him :  "  My  son,  I  have  known  you  for  a 
long  time  and  have  watched  you.  I  wanted  to 
see  you,  and  that  is  why  I  gave  you  bad  luck 
at  the  sticks,  and  why  I  sent  my  Wind  to  bring 
you  here.  Your  people  are  very  hungry  now 
because  they  can  find  no  buffalo,  but  I  am  go 
ing  to  give  you  something  on  which  you  can 
67 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

live,  even  when  the  buffalo  fail.7'  Then  he 
gave  him  three  little  sacks.  The  first  contain 
ed  squash  seed;  the  second  beans,  red  and 
white,  and  the  third  corn,  white,  red,  blue,  and 
yellow. 

The  Father  said :  "  Tie  these  sacks  to  your 
shield,  and  do  not  lose  them.  When  you  get 
back  to  your  people  give  each  one  some  of 
the  seeds  and  tell  him  to  put  them  in  the 
ground;  then  they  will  make  more.  These 
things  are  good  to  eat,  but  the  first  year  do  not 
let  the  people  eat  them ;  let  them  put  the  yield 
away,  and  the  next  year  again  put  it  in  the 
ground.  After  that  they  can  eat  a  part  of  what 
grows,  but  they  must  always  save  some  for 
seed.  So  the  people  will  always  have  something 
to  eat  with  their  buffalo  meat,  and  something 
to  depend  on  if  the  buffalo  fail."  The  Father 
gave  him  also  a  buffalo  robe,  and  said  to  him: 
"  When  you  go  back,  the  next  day  after  you 
have  got  there,  call  all  the  people  together  in 
your  lodge,  and  give  them  what  is  in  this  robe, 
and  tell  them  all  these  things.  Now  you  can 
go  back  to  your  people." 

The  Wind  took  the  young  man  back.  They 
travelled  a  long  time,  and  at  last  they  came  to 
68 


The   First  Corn 

the  Pawnee  village.  The  Wind  put  the  young 
man  down,  and  he  went  into  his  father's  lodge 
and  said,  "  Father,  I  am  here  " ;  but  his  fa 
ther  did  not  believe  him,  and  said,  "  It  ia 
not  you."  He  had  been  gone  so  long  that 
they  had  thought  him  dead.  Then  he  said  to 
his  mother,  "  Mother,  I  am  here,"  and  his 
mother  knew  him  and  was  glad  that  he  had  re 
turned. 

At  this  time  the  people  had  no  buffalo.  They 
had  scouted  far  and  near  and  could  find  none 
anywhere,  and  they  were  all  very  hungry.  The 
little  children  cried  with  hunger.  The  next 
day  after  he  got  back,  the  young  man  sent  out 
an  old  man  to  go  through  the  camp  and  call 
all  the  people  to  come  to  his  father's  lodge. 
When  they  were  there,  he  opened  his  robe  and 
spread  it  out,  and  it  was  covered  with  pieces 
of  fat  buffalo  meat  piled  high.  The  young 
man  gave  to  each  person  all  he  could  carry, 
but  while  he  was  handing  out  the  pieces,  his 
father  was  trying  to  pull  off  the  robe  the  hind 
quarters  of  the  buffalo  and  hide  them.  He  was 
afraid  that  the  young  man  might  give  away  all 
the  meat,  and  he  wanted  to  save  this  for  their 
own  lodge.  But  the  young  man  said :  "  Father, 
69 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

do  not  take  this  away.  Do  not  touch  anything. 
There  is  enough." 

After  he  had  given  them  the  meat  he  showed 
them  the  sacks  of  seed  and  told  them  what 
they  were  for,  and  explained  to  them  that  they 
must  not  eat  any  the  first  year,  but  that  they 
must  always  save  some  to  plant,  and  the  peo 
ple  listened.  Then  he  said  to  them :  "  I  hear 
that  you  have  no  buffalo.  Come  out  to-mor 
row  and  I  will  show  you  where  to  go  for  buf 
falo.''  The  people  wondered  where  this  could 
be,  for  they  had  travelled  far  in  all  directions 
looking  for  buffalo.  The  next  day  they  went 
out  as  he  had  told  them,  and  the  young  man 
sent  two  boys  to  the  top  of  a  high  hill  close 
to  camp,  and  told  them  to  let  him  know  what 
they  saw  from  it.  When  the  boys  got  to  the 
top  of  the  hill,  they  saw  down  below  them  in 
the  hollow  a  big  band  of  buffalo. 

When  the  people  learned  that  the  buffalo 
were  there,  they  all  took  their  arrows  and  ran 
out  and  chased  the  buffalo  and  made  a  big 
killing,  so  that  there  was  plenty  in  the  camp 
and  they  made  much  dried  meat.  Four  days 
after  this  he  again  sent  out  the  boys,  and  they 
found  buffalo.  Now  that  they  had  plenty  of 
TO 


The  First  Corn 

meat  they  stayed  in  one  place,  and  when  spring 
came  the  young  man  put  the  seed  in  the  ground. 
When  the  people  first  saw  these  strange  plants 
growing  they  wondered  at  them,  for  they  were 
new  and  different  from  anything  that  they  had 
ever  seen  growing  on  the  prairie.  They  liked 
the  color  of  the  young  stalks,  and  the  way 
they  tasselled  out,  and  the  way  the  ears  formed. 
They  found  that  besides  being  pretty  to  look 
at  they  were  good  to  eat,  for  when  the  young 
man  had  gathered  the  crop  he  gave  the  people 
a  little  to  taste,  so  that  they  might  know  that 
the  words  that  he  had  spoken  were  true.  The 
rest  he  kept  for  seed.  Next  season  he  gave  all 
the  people  seed  to  plant,  and  after  that  they 
always  had  these  things. 

Later,  this  young  man  became  one  of  the 
head  men  and  taught  the  people  many  things. 
He  told  them  that  always  when  they  killed 
buffalo  they  must  bring  the  fattest  and  offer 
them  to  the  Father.  He  taught  them  about 
the  sacred  bundles,  and  told  them  that  they 
must  put  an  ear  of  corn  on  the  bundles  and 
must  keep  a  piece  of  fat  in  the  bundles  along 
with  the  corn,  and  that  both  must  be  kept  out 
of  sight.  In  the  fall  they  should  take  the  ear 

71 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

of  corn  out  of  the  bundle  and  rub  the  piece  of 
fat  over  it.*  Thus  they  would  have  good  crops 
and  plenty  of  food. 

All  these  things  the  people  did,  and  it  was  a 
help  to  them  in  their  living. 

*  Cf.  The  Story  of  the  Indian,  p.   194,  and  The  Ind 
ians  of  To-day,  p.  43. 


The  Star  Boy 


The  Star  Boy 


hot  night  in  summer  two  girls 
climbed  up  on  an  arbor  in  front  of 
an  earth  lodge  to  sleep  where  it  was 
cool.  As  they  lay  there  before  they 
went  to  sleep,  they  were  talking  about  the  dif 
ferent  stars  that  they  saw  in  the  sky  above  them, 
saying  how  pretty  they  were.  One  of  the  girls 
saw  a  bright  star,  and  pointed  to  it  and  said: 
"  I  like  that  one  best  of  all.  I  choose  it  for 
mine."  After  a  little  while  the  girls  went  to 
sleep. 

When  this  girl  that  had  chosen  the  star  awoke, 
she  was  in  a  strange  country,  and  saw  strange 
people  about  her.  She  cried,  and  wanted  to  go 
back  to  her  home,  but  the  man  in  whose  lodge 
she  was  told  her  that  he  was  the  star  she  had 
said  she  liked,  and  that,  as  she  had  chosen 
him,  he  had  taken  her  for  his  wife.  Finally,  she 
75 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

got  over  feeling  badly  and  was  content  to  stay 
with  him. 

Every  day  when  the  evening  came  he  would 
get  ready  for  his  journey.  He  would  comb 
his  hair  and  paint  his  face  red,  and  then  start 
out  to  travel.  When  it  was  morning  he  would 
be  back  again. 

About  three  years  after  this  the  girl  had 
a  baby  boy.  One  day  after  this  she  went  out  to 
dig  roots.  Her  husband  had  told  her  not  to  dig 
too  deep  in  the  ground,  and  for  a  long  time  she 
was  careful,  but  one  day  she  dug  too  deep  and 
dug  through  that  ground.  There  before  her 
was  a  hole,  through  which  she  could  look  down 
and  see  this  world  below  her.  She  could  see  a 
camp,  and  near  it  a  party  of  men  playing  the 
stick  game.  They  were  very  small  and  looked 
like  ants.  She  looked  at  them  and  looked  at 
them  for  a  long  time,  and  then  suddenly  she 
felt  that  she  wanted  to  go  back  to  where  she 
had  come  from,  and  wanted  again  to  see  her 
people — the  Pawnees. 

After  she  had  thought  about  this  for  a  long 

time,  she  went  home  and  asked  her  husband  to 

bring  her  a  lot  of  sinews.    He  brought  them  to 

her,  and  from  the  sinews  she  began  to  make  a 

76 


The  Star  Boy 

rope.  It  took  her  a  long  time  to  make  the  rope, 
and  in  making  it  she  used  all  the  sinews  that 
she  had.  After  she  had  finished  it,  she  waited 
until  her  man  had  gone  out  on  his  journey,  and 
then  put  her  child  on  her  back  and  went  to  the 
hole,  carrying  the  rope  of  sinew.  She  took  with 
her  also  a  long  stake,  and  drove  it  into  the 
ground  near  the  hole.  To  this  stake  she  tied 
the  rope,  and  then  let  it  down  through  the 
hole.  It  seemed  to  her  that  it  did  not  reach 
the  ground,  but  she  thought  that  perhaps  it 
reached  almost  dowrn  to  it,  and  she  made  up 
her  mind  that  she  would  try  to  descend. 

All  around  the  hole  she  dug  the  earth  away 
so  as  to  make  it  large  enough  for  her  body 
to  pass  through.  Then  she  put  her  child  on 
her  back,  and  let  herself  slide  down  by  the  rope. 
For  a  long  time  she  went  down,  and  at  last 
she  came  to  the  end  of  the  rope,  but  it  did 
not  nearly  reach  the  ground.  That  was  far 
below  her.  She  clung  to  the  rope,  crying,  for 
she  was  afraid  to  let  go  and  no  one  came  to  help 
her,  for  there  was  no  one  near  to  hear.  It  was 
a  long  way  to  the  camp. 

After  a  time  the  woman's  husband  came  back 
to  their  lodge  and  found  that  his  wife  was  gone. 
77 


The   Punishment  of  the   Stingy 

He  looked  for  her  everywhere,  but  could  see 
nothing  of  her.  At  last  he  found  the  hole 
that  she  had  dug,  and  when  he  looked  down 
through  it  he  saw  her  there  hanging  to  the 
rope.  Then  he  was  angry.  He  looked  about  on 
the  ground  for  a  stone  just  the  size  of  the  hole, 
and  dropped  it  through,  and  it  fell  on  the  wom 
an's  head  and  killed  her,  but  by  his  power 
the  Star  Man  took  care  of  the  little  child  so 
that  when  it  fell  to  the  ground  it  was  not  hurt. 

When  the  woman  fell  the  boy  crawled  out 
from  under  her.  He  stayed  there  by  his  mother 
three  days.  Every  now  and  then  he  would  start 
to  go  off  somewhere,  and  would  go  a  little  way, 
and  then  would  come  back  to  his  mother  and  try 
to  rouse  her;  but  she  was  dead.  The  fourth 
day  he  started  to  go  off  a  long  way,  and  as  he 
was  going  along  he  came  to  a  patch  of  corn  and 
squashes,  and  he  walked  among  the  corn  and 
pulled  some  ears  and  ate  them. 

Near  by  this  field  was  a  poor  little  lodge,  in 
which  lived  an  old  woman  and  her  little  grand 
son.  One  day  the  little  boy  went  into  the  corn 
patch  and  saw  there  the  footprints  of  a  little 
child.  He  went  back  home  and  told  his  grand 
mother  about  it.  They  did  not  know  whether 
78 


The  Star  Boy 

the  tracks  had  been  made  by  a  girl  or  a  boy. 
They  looked  for  the  child  everywhere,  but  could 
not  find  it. 

At  last  the  old  woman  told  her  grandson  to 
take  out  a  flesher  and  a  hoe  and  leave  them  in 
the  field.  "  If  it  is  a  girl,"  the  old  woman  said, 
"she  will  take  them."  The  little  boy  did 
as  she  had  said,  and  left  the  things  there,  but 
when  the  strange  child  came  he  did  not  take 
them.  They  could  see  his  tracks  where  he  had 
walked  straight  by  them.  Then  the  old  woman 
said :  "  My  son,  take  your  bow  and  arrows  and 
put  them  there.  If  it  is  a  boy  he  will  take 
them."  He  did  so. 

When  the  little  boy  next  went  back  to  the 
corn  patch  after  leaving  the  bow  and  arrows, 
they  were  gone.  Then  the  little  boy  went  into 
the  corn  and  hid  himself  and  waited.  He  stay 
ed  hidden  there  until  the  little  Star  Boy  came 
back;  then  he  walked  up  to  him.  He  said: 
"  Come,  let  us  go  to  where  my  grandmother 
lives.  We  can  play  there  together  with  our 
bows  and  arrows."  The  boys  went  to  the  lodge 
and  went  in  and  ate  together.  Then  they  went 
out  and  played  with  their  bows  and  arrows. 

They  lived  thus  for  a  long  time.  When  they 
79 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

had  grown  so  that  they  could  go  a  long  way  from 
home,  they  would  sometimes  stay  away  too  long, 
and  the  old  woman  would  get  frightened  about 
them  and  would  scold  them  when  they  came 
back. 

One  day  she  said  to  the  boys :  "  My  sons,  you 
must  never  go  over  there  to  that  place  where  the 
timber  grows  thick.  Never  go  there.  That  is 
where  your  fathers,  mothers,  uncles,  aunts,  and 
brothers  were  killed  by  a  grizzly  bear.  It  is  dan 
gerous  to  go  there." 

Not  long  after  that  the  little  Star  Boy  said, 
"Let  us  go  out  and  kill  little  birds."  They 
went  out,  and  when  they  had  got  some  distance 
from  the  lodge  he  said,  "  Brother,  let  us  go 
over  to  that  place  where  grandmother  told  us 
not  to  go."  The  other  boy  said:  "  It  is  good. 
We  will  go."  They  went  over  there,  and  when 
they  had  gone  into  the  thick  timber,  suddenly 
they  saw  a  bear.  It  seemed  very  angry  and 
roared  and  growled.  The  Star  Boy  laughed  at 
it,  and  walked  up  to  it  and  tapped  it  on  the 
head  with  his  bow.  His  father  was  using  his 
power  so  that  the  bear  could  not  hurt  him. 
The  boy  took  the  bear  home  with  him  to  the 
lodge,  and  called  to  his  grandmother  to  come 
80 


The  Star  Boy 

out  and  said,  "  Grandmother,  here  is  a  bear ; 
you  can  have  him  to  pack  wood  and  water  for 
you."  The  old  woman  was  scared.  The  boy 
killed  the  bear  with  his  little  arrows. 

One  day  after  that  the  old  woman  said  to 
the  boys :  "  Now,  boys,  do  not  go  to  that  thick- 
timbered  place  over  there.  That  is  where  some 
of  your  brothers  and  relations  disappeared.  Do 
not  go  there."  Soon  after  this,  one  day  when 
they  were  out  hunting  little  birds  and  had  got 
away  from  the  lodge,  the  Star  Boy  said,  "  Broth 
er,  let  us  go  over  to  that  place  where  grand 
mother  told  us  not  to  go.  Let  us  see  what  is 
there."  They  went,  and  as  they  were  going 
along  through  the  timber  they  saw  a  panther. 
The  panther  growled  and  looked  very  fierce, 
but  the  boy  walked  up  to  it  and  shot  his  little 
arrow  at  it  and  killed  it.  His  father  was  help 
ing  him.  The  boys  skinned  it  and  took  it  home 
and  stuffed  it  with  grass  and  stood  it  up  in  the 
lodge.  Their  grandmother  was  away.  When 
she  came  back  they  told  her  to  go  into  the 
lodge ;  they  said,  "  We  have  something  nice  for 
you  in  there."  She  went  into  the  lodge,  and 
when  she  saw  the  panther  she  was  frightened 
almost  to  death,  and  the  boys  laughed.  The 
F  81 


The   Punishment  of  the   Stingy 

boys  said  to  the  old  woman,  "  Grandmother,  we 
have  done  this  so  that  we  could  put  this  skin 
outside  the  lodge  to  scare  away  other  animals 
so  that  they  will  not  come  near  us." 

The  grandmother  said :  "  Boys,  boys,  you 
must  not  do  as  you  have  been  doing.  You  must 
not  go  so  far  away,  and  you  must  not  go  into 
danger.  Right  up  there  on  the  hill  is  a  den 
of  snakes.  I  do  not  want  you  to  go  there. 
You  must  not  go  near  that  place."  Soon  after 
this  the  Star  Boy  said  to  his  playmate: 
"  Brother,  let  us  go  over  to  that  hill  where 
the  snakes  live.  Let  us  each  take  a  piece  of 
rock  and  we  will  kill  them."  They  went,  and 
when  they  got  to  the  place  he  said :  "  Sit  down. 
Put  your  rock  on  the  ground  and  sit  down  on 
it.  I  know  what  the  snakes  are  going  to  do, 
but  our  father  will  take  care  of  us." 

The  snakes  came  out  of  the  den — great  lots 
of  them — and  came  towards  the  boys.  All  at 
once  the  boys  saw  a  cloud  rising  and  coming 
towards  them,  and  pretty  soon  it  began  to  rain 
where  the  snakes  were,  and  the  water  got  so 
deep  that  the  snakes  were  swimming,  but  where 
the  boys  were  it  did  not  rain.  On  them  the 
sun  was  shining  warm  and  bright.  Then  the 
82 


The  Star  Boy 

sun  got  hotter  and  hotter,  and  at  last  it  was  so 
hot  it  made  the  water  boil  and  killed  all  the 
snakes. 

The  boys  went  home,  and  the  old  woman's 
grandson  told  her  what  had  happened — just 
how  it  all  was.  Then  she  said  to  him :  "  Grand 
son,  I  believe  there  is  power  in  this  little  boy. 
Now  we  will  go  back  to  our  people."  They  had 
left  their  people  because  they  were  poor  and 
had  no  horses,  and  the  others  in  the  camp  did 
not  take  care  of  them.  She  said,  "  We  will 
go  back  and  try  to  find  out  where  this  boy  came 
from,  and  whether  he  is  a  relative  of  any  of 
our  people  there."  Before  they  started  the 
grandmother  asked  the  Star  Boy  where  he 
came  from.  He  told  her  that  he  did  not  know ; 
that  he  had  come  from  above,  but  he  remem 
bered  that  his  mother  had  told  him  that  they 
did  not  belong  up  there,  but  down  below,  and 
that  she  had  been  taken  up  by  a  star.  He  said 
that  she  had  come  down  with  him  on  her  back, 
but  had  been  killed  by  a  stone  dropped  from 
above,  which  had  hit  her  on  the  head  but  did 
not  kill  him. 

Then  the  old  woman  remembered  that  once 
a  girl  had  disappeared  one  night  from  the  camp 
83 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

when  she  was  sleeping  on  an  arbor,  and  that 
this  girl  was  the  daughter  of  a  chief. 

They  left  their  lodge  and  went  back  to  their 
people.  "When  they  reached  the  camp,  they  had 
a  lodge  of  their  own  and  all  lived  together.  His 
relations,  when  they  found  out  who  the  Star 
Boy  was,  wanted  him  to  come  and  live  with 
them,  but  for  a  long  time  he  would  not  do 
so.  When  he  did  go,  he  took  the  old  woman 
and  her  grandson  with  him. 

When  he  grew  up  he  began  to  go  on  the  war 
path,  and  he  had  good  luck  and  struck  many 
of  his  enemies.  At  length  he  married  the  daugh 
ter  of  a  chief,  and  the  grandson  married  an 
other  daughter. 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 


LONG  time  ago  there  lived  in  a 
camp  of  Pawnees  a  certain  poor 
boy.  His  father  had  only  one  pony. 
Once  he  had  been  a  leading  man  in 
the  tribe,  but  now  he  seemed  to  be  unlucky. 
When  he  went  on  the  war-path  he  brought  back 
nothing,  and  when  he  fought  he  did  nothing, 
and  the  people  did  not  now  look  up  to  him. 

There  was  a  chief's  son  who  loved  the  poor 
boy,  and  these  two  went  together  all  the  time. 
They  were  like  brothers ;  they  used  to  hunt  to 
gether  and  go  courting  together,  and  when  they 
were  travelling,  the  poor  boy  often  rode  one  of 
the  ponies  of  the  chief's  son,  and  the  latter  used 
to  go  to  the  poor  boy's  lodge  and  sleep  there 
with  him. 

Once  the  camp  went  off  to  hunt  buffalo,  and 
the  poor  boy  and  the  chief's  son  rode  together 
all  the  time.     After  the  people  had  made  camp 
87 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

at  a  certain  place,  the  chiefs  decided  to  stop 
here  for  four  days,  because  the  buffalo  were 
close  by,  and  they  could  kill  plenty  and  dry 
the  meat  here.  North  of  the  camp  was  a  hill 
on  which  grew  many  cedar-trees,  and  during 
the  day  the  poor  boy  had  overheard  people  say 
ing  that  many  Indians  had  been  killed  on  that 
hill,  among  those  trees.  They  said  that  no  one 
ought  to  go  there,  for  it  was  a  dangerous 
place. 

That  night  the  chief's  son  went  over  to  his 
friend's  lodge  to  sleep  there,  but  before  they 
went  to  bed  he  left  the  lodge  for  a  time,  and 
while  he  was  gone  the  poor  boy,  as  he  sat  there 
waiting,  began  to  think  about  himself  and  how 
unhappy  he  was.  He  remembered  how  poor 
he  and  his  father  were,  and  how  everybody 
looked  down  on  them  and  despised  them,  and 
it  did  not  seem  to  him  that  things  would  ever 
be  any  better  for  them  than  they  were  now. 
For  a  long  time  he  sat  there  thinking  about 
all  these  things,  and  the  more  he  thought  of 
them  the  worse  they  seemed,  and  at  last  he  felt 
that  he  was  no  longer  glad  to  live,  and  he  made 
up  his  mind  to  go  up  into  those  cedars. 

He  went  out  of  the  lodge  and  started  to  go 
88 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 

up  towards  the  trees.  It  was  bright  moonlight, 
so  that  he  could  see  well.  Just  before  he  reach 
ed  the  edge  of  the  timber  he  crossed  a  ravine, 
and  saw  there  many  skeletons  of  people  who 
had  been  killed.  The  ground  was  white  with 
these  bones.  He  went  on  into  the  cedars,  and 
came  to  a  ravine  leading  up  the  hill  and  fol 
lowed  it.  As  he  went  on  he  saw  before  him 
a  trail  and  followed  it,  and  when  he  came  to 
the  head  of  the  ravine  there  was  a  big  hole  in 
the  bank,  and  the  trail  led  to  it.  He  stopped 
for  a  moment  when  he  came  to  this  hole,  but 
then  he  went  in,  and  when  he  had  entered  he 
saw  there,  sitting  by  the  fire,  a  big  she-bear  and 
some  little  cubs. 

As  the  boy  stood  there  looking  at  her,  the 
she-bear  said  to  him :  "  I  am  sorry  that  you 
have  come  here.  My  husband  is  the  one  who 
kills  persons  and  brings  them  here  for  the  chil 
dren  and  me  to  eat.  You  had  better  go  back 
to  your  people  quickly,  or  he  will  eat  you  up. 
He  has  gone  hunting,  but  he  will  soon  be  back 
again.  If  he  finds  you  here  he  will  kill  you." 

The  poor  boy  said :  "  Well,  I  came  here  on 
purpose  to  be  killed,  and  I  give  myself  up  to 
you.  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  eaten  by  you.  I 
89 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

am  here  ready  to  be  killed.  I  am  yours.  Take 
me." 

The  she-bear  said :  "  Oh,  I  wish  I  could  do 
something  to  save  you,  but  I  cannot.  He  is 
one  of  those  bad  bears — a  grizzly — medicine. 
I  can  do  nothing  for  you,  but  I  will  try.  As 
soon  as  you  hear  any  noise  outside — any  one 
coming — pick  up  that  cub,  the  littlest  one,  and 
hold  it  in  your  arms.  When  he  comes  in  he 
will  tell  you  to  put  it  down,  but  do  not  do  so. 
Hold  it  tight ;  he  loves  that  one  best  of  all." 

All  at  once  the  boy  heard  outside  the  cave 
the  noise  of  a  bear  snorting  and  grunting.  The 
she-bear  said,  "  Pick  up  the  cub,  quick ;  he  is 
coming."  The  boy  caught  up  the  little  bear, 
and  held  it  tight  to  his  breast.  All  at  once  the 
noise  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  den  and  stopped. 
It  was  the  Bear.  The  boy  could  hear  him  talk 
ing.  He  said :  "  Here !  somebody  has  been 
about  my  house.  I  smell  human  beings.  Yes, 
he  even  came  in.  Where  is  he  ?  Let  me  see 
him,  so  that  I  may  jump  upon  him  and  kill 
him."  When  he  came  in  he  saw  the  boy,  and 
seemed  very  angry.  He  stood  up  on  his  hind 
feet  and  threw  up  his  hands,  and  then  came 
down  again  and  struck  his  paws  on  the  ground, 
90 


The  Grizzly   Bear's  Medicine 

and  then  rose  up  and  snorted  "  whoof"  and 
blew  out  red  dust  from  his  nostrils,  and  then 
came  down  and  jumped  about,  and  sometimes 
sprang  towards  the  boy,  as  though  he  were  go 
ing  to  seize  him.  He  was  very  terrible,  and  the 
boy  was  very  much  afraid. 

The  Bear  called  out  to  the  boy  in  a  loud 
voice :  "  How  dare  you  take  up  my  child  and 
hold  it  ?  Let  it  go,  or  I  will  tear  you  to  pieces 
and  eat  you."  But  the  boy  still  held  the  cub. 
No  matter  what  the  Bear  said  or  what  he  did, 
the  boy  held  fast  to  the  cub. 

When  the  Bear  saw  that  the  boy  would  not 
let  the  cub  go,  he  became  quiet,  and  no  longer 
seemed  angry.  He  said :  "  Boy,  you  are  my 
son.  Put  down  your  brother,  for  now  he 
is  your  brother.  He  shall  go  with  you, 
he  shall  be  your  companion,  and  shall  be 
with  you  always  as  your  guide  and  helper. 
He  has  told  me  your  story,  and  how  you  are 
poor,  unhappy,  and  now  he  has  kept  you  from 
being  eaten  up.  I  have  taken  pity  on  you,  and 
we  will  send  you  back  to  your  people,  where 
you  may  do  some  good  among  them.  My  son, 
I  am  at  the  head  of  all  these  animal  lodges, 
down  at  Pahuk'  and  at  Pahur'  and  everywhere 
91 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

else.  I  am  at  the  head;  there  is  no  animal  liv 
ing  that  is  stronger  than  I ;  none  that  I  cannot 
kill.  If  a  man  shoots  at  me,  I  make  the  arrow 
to  fall  from  my  skin  without  hurting  me.  Look 
up  around  my  lodge.  See  these  arrows,  these 
guns,  these  leggings,  these  beads,  and  the  medi 
cine  that  men  have  brought,  thinking  to  kill 
me;  but  I  have  killed  them,  and  have  taken 
these  things,  and  keep  them  here. 

"  I  knew  that  your  people  were  coming  to 
this  place  to  hunt.  I  drove  the  buffalo  over, 
so  that  the  people  should  stop  here  and  hunt 
and  kill  meat,  in  order  that  you  might  come 
to  my  lodge.  I  know  all  your  feelings.  I  know 
that  you  are  sorry  for  your  poor  father,  my 
brother,  and  I  wished  you  to  come  here,  so  that 
I  might  make  you  my  son  and  give  my  power 
to  you,  so  that  you  may  become  a  great  man 
among  your  people.  I  know  that  they  are  now 
killing  buffalo,  and  that  they  will  be  camped 
here  for  four  days. 

"  Now,  my  son,  set  your  brother  free.  All 
the  power  that  I  have  I  give  to  you.  I  shall 
kill  my  son,  your  little  brother  there,  and  give 
you  his  skin  to  keep  and  to  carry  away  with 
you,  so  that  he  may  be  your  companion  and 
92 


"SNORTED  'WHOOF,'  AND  BLEW  RED  DUST  FROM  HIS  NOSTRILS" 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 

may  be  with  you  always.  Your  brother,  your1 
friend  at  the  camp,  is  looking  for  you,  mourn 
ing  for  you,  for  he  thinks  you  dead,  but  to-mor 
row  night  you  shall  see  him,  and  shall  tell  him 
to  rejoice  for  you  and  not  to  mourn.  You  shall 
tell  him  where  you  have  been." 

The  little  bear  that  he  was  holding  said  to 
the  boy :  "  It  is  all  right  now,  brother ;  put  me 
down.  My  father  means  what  he  says.  I  am 
glad  that  I  am  going  to  be  with  you,  my  broth 
er."  The  boy  put  him  down. 

Then  the  Bear  said  to  his  wife :  "  Get  up. 
Take  that  gun."  The  she-bear  took  the  gun, 
and  they  walked  around  the  fireplace  in  a  cir 
cle,  and  sang,  and  the  boy  looked  on.  The  Bear 
took  the  gun  and  told  the  boy  to  look  at  them, 
and  to  watch  carefully  everything  that  they 
did.  After  a  little  he  stopped,  and  shot  his 
wife,  and  she  fell  down  dead.  Then  he  put 
down  the  gun,  and  went  to  the  she-bear  and  put 
his  mouth  on  the  wound,  and  breathed  on  it 
and  snorted  "  whoof"  and  sucked  in  his  breath 
and  took  the  bullet  out,  and  went  around  the 
lodge,  singing  and  making  motions,  and  then 
he  took  hold  of  the  she-bear  and  lifted  her  to 
her  feet,  and  supported  her,  and  pushed  her 
93 


The   Punishment  of  the   Stingy 

around,  and  helped  her,  and  at  last  she  walked, 
and  was  well.  Then  he  called  the  boy  to  him 
and  said,  "  Now  I  will  do  the  same  thing  to 
you."  And  he  did  the  same  thing  to  the  boy, 
and  brought  him  to  life  in  the  same  way.  Then 
he  said,  "  That  is  one  power  I  give  you  to 
night." 

Then  he  gave  the  gun  to  the  boy  and  went 
to  the  other  side  of  the  lodge,  and  sat  up,  and 
said,  "  Now  I  will  open  my  mouth,  and  you 
shoot  me  right  in  the  mouth."  He  opened  his 
mouth,  and  the  boy  shot  him,  and  he  fell  over. 
After  a  moment  he  got  up  on  his  feet  and 
slapped  his  paws  on  his  chest  several  times, 
and  the  bullet  came  out  of  his  mouth,  and  he 
walked  around  the  fireplace  two  or  three  times, 
and  made  motions  and  grunted,  and  then  he 
was  well.  Then  he  took  the  boy  in  his  arms, 
and  hugged  him  and  kissed  him  and  breathed 
on  him,  and  said :  "  Now  I  give  you  my  power. 
Go  over  there  and  I  will  shoot  you  as  you  shot 
me.  Do  just  as  I  did."  The  boy  went  over 
there,  and  the  Bear  shot  him,  and  the  boy  did 
just  as  the  Bear  had  done,  and  made  himself 
well. 

The  Bear  then  put  an  arrow  in  the  gun  and 
94 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 

shot  it  at  the  boy,  and  when  the  smoke  cleared 
away  the  boy  found  the  arrow  fast  in  his 
throat,  the  feather  end  sticking  out.  The  Bear 
took  it  out  and  made  him  well,  and  gave  him 
also  this  power.  Then  the  Bear  told  him  to 
load  the  gun  with  a  ball  and  to  shoot  it  at 
him,  and  he  did  so,  and  shot  the  Bear, 
but  the  lead  was  made  flat  and  dropped  to 
the  ground.  The  bullet  did  not  go  into  the 
Bear. 

The  Bear  now  told  the  boy  to  take  the  bow 
and  arrow  and  to  shoot  at  him  with  all  his 
strength.  The  boy  did  this,  but  the  arrow  did 
not  go  through  the  Bear,  but  the  spike  rolled 
up  and  the  shaft  was  split.  The  Bear  said: 
"  Now  you  see,  my  son,  that  the  gun  and  the 
bow,  the  bullet  and  the  arrow,  cannot  harm 
me.  You  shall  have  the  same  power.  When 
you  go  into  battle  you  shall  not  carry  a  gun 
nor  arrows,  for  they  are  not  mine,  but  you  shall 
take  this  paint,  and  put  it  all  over  your  body, 
then  put  this  feather  on  your  head,  and  take 
this  club,  which  is  part  of  my  jawbone.  All 
these  things  have  my  power  and  medicine. 
When  you  are  carrying  these  things  your  enemy 
cannot  hurt  you,  even  if  you  run  right  on  to 
95 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

him ;  but  with  one  stroke  of  this  club  you  shall 
kill  your  enemy." 

The  next  morning  the  Bear  took  the  boy 
out  on  the  prairie  and  showed  him  the  differ 
ent  roots  and  leaves  of  medicines,  and  told  him 
how  to  use  them ;  how  he  should  eat  some  medi 
cine  and  then  he  could  cure  the  wounded  by 
just  breathing  on  the  wound. 

That  night  the  Bear  said  to  him:  "Here 
after  you  shall  have  the  same  feelings  as  the 
bear.  When  you  get  angry,  you  will  have  a 
grunt  like  a  bear;  and  if  you  get  too  fierce, 
tushes  like  a  bear's  will  stick  out  of  your 
mouth,  so  that  the  people  will  know  that  you 
are  very  angry.  You  shall  have  my  power, 
and  you  can  go  into  any  of  the  lodges  of  the 
animals,  of  which  I  am  the  chief."  And  he 
told  him  how  to  get  into  these  lodges. 

That  day  they  stayed  in  the  Bear's  lodge, 
and  the  Bear  took  the  claw  off  from  his  little 
finger  and  gave  it  and  a  little  bundle  of  medi 
cine  to  the  boy.  He  said,  "  Take  this  claw  and 
this  bundle  of  medicine  and  put  them  on  a 
string  and  wear  them  on  your  neck  always, 
the  claw  hanging  in  front."  He  taught  him 
how  to  make  plums  grow  on  trees,  and 
96 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 

how  to  make  ground  -  cherries  come  out  of  his 
rnouth. 

That  night  he  sent  the  boy  back  to  the  camp. 
He  said :  "  Tell  your  father  and  mother  not  to 
mourn  for  you,  for  you  will  return  in  two  days 
more.  I  have  driven  plenty  of  buffalo  to  this 
place,  and  the  people  will  kill  them  and  dry 
the  meat.  Now  go  to  the  camp  and  get  a  pipe 
and  some  tobacco,  and  bring  them  here." 

The  boy  went  back  to  the  camp.  When  he 
went  into  the  lodge  his  father  and  mother  were 
glad  to  see  him.  He  told  them  not  to  be  anx 
ious  about  him,  and  not  to  say  anything  about 
his  having  been  away.  Then  he  went  out  and 
found  his  brother,  the  chief's  son,  asleep.  He 
said  to  him :  "  Wake  up,  brother.  I  want  you  to 
get  some  tobacco  and  a  pipe  from  your  father. 
Tell  no  one  that  it  is  for  me.  Bring  it  here. 
I  want  to  smoke  with  you.  I  am  going  away 
again,  but  you  must  stay  in  camp.  I  shall  re 
turn  in  a  few  days."  The  chief's  son  got  the 
things  and  gave  them  to  the  boy.  He  wanted 
to  go  with  him,  but  the  poor  boy  would  not 
let  him. 

That  same  night  the  boy  went  back  to  the 
Bear's  den,  carrying  with  him  the  pipe  and  to- 
97 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

bacco.  After  he  went  into  the  lodge  he  filled 
his  pipe  and  lighted  it,  and  he  and  the  Bear 
smoked  together.  The  Bear  said  to  him :  "  Af 
ter  you  have  gone  home,  whenever  you  smoke, 
always  point  your  pipe  towards  my  den  and 
ask  me  to  smoke  with  you.  After  lighting  your 
pipe,  point  it  first  to  Atius  Tirawat,  and  then 
blow  a  few  whiffs  to  me.  Then  I  shall  know 
that  you  still  remember  me.  All  my  power 
comes  from  Atius.  He  made  me.  There  will 
be  an  end  to  my  days  as  there  is  to  those  of  ev 
ery  mortal.  So  long  as  I  live  I  shall  protect 
you;  when  I  die  of  old  age,  you  shall  die  too." 
After  this  he  said,  "  Now  bring  my  young 
est  boy  here."  The  boy  brought  the  little  cub, 
and  the  Bear  said,  "  Now  kill  him."  The  boy 
hesitated  to  do  this.  He  did  not  want  to  kill 
the  little  bear,  but  it  said  to  him :  "  Go  on,  my 
brother,  kill  me.  After  this  I  am  going  to  be 
a  spirit,  and  always  to  be  with  you."  Then 
the  boy  killed  him,  and  skinned  him,  and 
tanned  his  hide.  After  it  was  tanned  he  put 
some  red  medicine  paint  on  the  hide.  When 
this  was  done  the  Bear  told  him  to  put  his 
paint,  his  feather,  and  his  war  -  club  in  this 
hide,  and  to  wrap  them  up  anS  make  a  bundle 
98 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 

of  them.  Then  he  said :  "  Now,  my  son,  go  to 
your  people,  and  when  you  get  home  hang  your 
bundle  up  at  the  back  of  the  lodge,  and  let  the 
people  know  nothing  of  all  this.  Keep  it  se 
cret.  Wherever  you  go,  or  wherever  you  are, 
I  shall  be  with  you." 

The  boy  went  home  to  the  camp,  and  told 
his  mother  to  hang  up  his  bundle,  as  the  Bear 
had  said.  Next  morning  he  was  in  camp  and 
all  the  people  saw  him.  They  were  surprised, 
for  they  had  thought  that  he  had  been  killed. 
By  this  time  the  Pawnees  had  all  the  buffalo 
they  wanted,  and  the  next  day  they  started 
back  to  their  village. 

After  they  had  reached  their  home,  the  boy 
told  the  chief's  son  that  he  wanted  him  to  go 
off  with  him  on  the  war-path.  His  brother 
said :  "  It  is  good.  I  will  go."  The  poor  boy 
took  his  bundle,  and  they  started.  After  trav 
elling  many  days  they  came  to  a  camp  of  the 
enemy.  They  went  into  the  village  in  the  day 
time,  and  took  many  horses  and  started  away 
with  them,  riding  hard.  Soon  the  enemy  pur 
sued  them,  and  at  length  they  could  see  them 
coming,  and  it  seemed  as  if  they  must  soon 
overtake  them.  Then  the  poor  boy  got  off  his 
99 


The  Punishment   of  the  Stingy 

horse  and  stopped,  telling  his  brother  to  go  on, 
driving  the  horses. 

The  boy  had  painted  himself  red  over  his 
whole  body.  He  held  his  war-club  in  his  hand, 
and  had  his  feather  tied  on  his  head  and  the 
little  bear-skin  on  his  back.  The  enemy  soon 
came  up  and  tried  to  kill  him,  but  they  could 
not.  He  would  run  after  one  and  kill  him,  and 
all  the  others  would  shoot  at  him  with  their 
arrows,  but  they  could  not  hurt  him,  and  at  last 
they  left  him  and  went  back,  and  he  went  on 
and  overtook  the  chief's  son.  Then  his  brother 
saw  that  he  had  great  power.  After  this  they 
travelled  on  slowly,  and  at  last  reached  the 
village.  His  brother  told  the  people  that  this 
man  was  powerful,  that  they  had  taken  the 
horses  in  broad  daylight,  and  the  young  man 
had  stayed  behind  on  foot  and  fought  the  en 
emy  off,  while  he  drove  on  the  horses. 

A  few  days  after  they  reached  home,  a  war- 
party  of  the  enemy  attacked  the  village.  All 
the  Pawnees  went  out  to  fight  them,  but  the 
poor  boy  stayed  behind  in  the  lodge.  He  took 
down  his  bundle,  filled  the  pipe,  and  pointed 
it  first  to  Atius,  and  then  towards  the  Bear's 
lodge,  and  smoked.  Then  he  took  the  paint  and 
100 


The  Grizzly  Beards  Medicine 

mixed  it  with  grease,  and  rubbed  it  all  over  his 
body  except  his  face:  that  he  painted  black. 
Then  he  put  the  feather  on  his  head  and  the 
little  bear-robe  on  his  back,  and  took  his  war- 
club  in  his  hand  and  started  out.  The  Bear 
had  told  him  that  in  going  into  battle  he  must 
never  start  towards  the  east,  but  must  attack 
going  towards  the  west.  So  he  went  around, 
and  came  on  the  battle-field  from  one  side. 

As  he  came  up  he  saw  that  his  people  were 
having  a  hard  time,  and  were  being  driven 
back.  There  was  one  of  the  enemy  who  seemed 
to  be  the  bravest  of  all.  The  poor  boy  rushed 
at  this  man  and  killed  him  with  his  club,  and 
then  ran  back  to  his  own  line.  When  his  peo 
ple  looked  at  him,  and  saw  that  it  was  really 
the  poor  boy  who  had  just  done  so  brave  a  deed, 
they  knew  that  what  the  chief's  son  had  said 
was  true.  When  he  started  again  to  rush  tow 
ards  the  enemy's  line,  all  the  Pawnees  followed 
him.  He  ran  among  the  enemy,  and  with  his 
club  killed  one  here  and  one  there,  and  the 
enemy  became  afraid  and  ran,  and  the  Pawnees 
followed  and  killed  many  of  them.  That  night 
they  returned  to  the  village,  rejoicing  over  the 
victory.  Everybody  was  praising  the  young 
101 


1  The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

man.  Old  men  were  calling  his  name,  young 
women  were  singing  about  him,  and  old  women 
dancing  before  him.  People  no  longer  made 
fun  of  his  father  or  mother,  or  of  him.  Now 
they  looked  upon  him  as  a  great  and  powerful 
person. 

The  Bear  had  told  him  that  when  he  wanted 
his  name  changed  he  must  call  himself  Ku 
ruks  la  war'  uks  ti,  Medicine  Bear. 

That  night  the  Bear  came  to  the  boy  in  his 
sleep  and  spoke  to  him.  He  said :  "  My  son, 
to-morrow  the  chief  of  the  tribe  is  going  to  ask 
you  to  take  his  daughter  for  your  wife,  but 
you  must  not  do  this  yet.  I  wish  you  to  wait 
until  you  have  done  certain  things.  If  you 
take  a  wife  before  that  time,  your  power  will 
go  from  you.'7 

The  next  day  the  chief  came  to  Medicine 
Bear  and  asked  him  to  marry  his  daughter, 
and  told  him  the  people  wanted  him  to  be  their 
head  chief.  He  refused. 

Some  time  after  this  all  the  different  tribes 
that  had  been  attacked  by  them  joined  forces 
and  came  down  together  to  fight  the  Pawnees. 
All  the  people  went  out  to  meet  them,  but  he 
stayed  in  his  lodge  and  painted  himself,  and  put 
102 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 

his  feather  in  his  head  and  the  bear-claw  on 
his  neck  and  his  bear-skin  on  his  back,  and 
smoked  as  he  always  did,  and  took  his  club 
and  went  out.  When  he  came  to  the  battle, 
the  Pawnees  were  having  a  hard  time,  because 
the  enemy  were  so  many.  Medicine  Bear 
charged,  and  killed  a  man,  and  then  came  back, 
and  the  second  time  he  charged,  the  people 
charged  all  together,  following  him,  and  they 
killed  many  and  drove  the  enemy  off,  and  those 
who  had  the  fastest  horses  were  the  only  ones 
who  got  away.  The  Pawnees  went  home  to 
the  village.  Everybody  rejoiced,  and  there 
were  many  scalp-dances.  Now  the  poor  boy 
was  more  highly  thought  of  than  ever.  Even 
the  chiefs  bowed  their  heads  when  they  saw 
him.  They  could  not  equal  him.  This  time 
he  called  himself  Ku  ruks  ti  carish,  Angry 
Bear. 

After  the  excitement  had  quieted  down,  one 
day  the  head  chief  said :  "  Medicine  Bear,  in 
all  this  tribe  there  is  no  chief  who  is  equal  to 
you.  Sit  down  by  my  daughter.  Take  her  for 
your  wife,  and  take  my  place  as  chief.  I  and 
my  wife  will  go  out  of  this  lodge,  and  it  shall 
be  yours.  You  shall  be  the  chief  of  the  tribe. 
103 


The  Punishment  of   the  Stingy 

Whatever  you  say  we  will  abide  by."  The  poor 
boy  said :  "  My  father,  I  will  think  about  this. 
By  morning  I  will  let  you  know."  In  the 
night,  before  he  slept,  he  filled  the  pipe  and 
smoked  as  the  Bear  had  told  him  to  do,  and 
then  he  went  to  bed.  In  dreams  the  Bear  said 
to  him :  "  My  son,  you  have  done  what  I  wished 
you  to  do.  Now  the  power  will  remain  with 
you  as  long  as  you  shall  live.  Now  you  can 
marry,  if  you  will." 

But  the  boy  was  not  yet  ready  to  do  this. 
The  girl  was  very  pretty,  and  he  liked  her, 
but  he  felt  that  before  he  married  there 
were  still  some  things  that  he  must  do.  He 
called  his  brother  and  said  to  him,  "  Go,  kill 
the  fattest  of  the  buffalo;  bring  it  to  me,  and 
I  will  take  a  long  journey  with  you." 

His  brother  went  hunting  and  killed  a  buf 
falo,  and  brought  the  meat  home,  and  they  dried 
it  and  made  a  bundle  of  it.  Medicine  Bear 
told  his  brother  to  carry  this  bundle  and  a  raw 
hide  rope  and  a  little  hatchet,  and  they  started 
on  a  journey  towards  the  Missouri  River.  One 
day  towards  evening  they  reached  the  river, 
and  they  found  themselves  on  top  of  a  steep- 
cut  bluff.  The  river  ran  at  its  foot.  The  poor 
104 


The  Grizzly  Bear's   Medicine 

boy  cut  a  cottonwood  pole  and  drove  it  into  the 
ground,  and  tied  the  rope  to  it,  and  then  tied 
the  other  end  of  the  rope  about  his  brother's 
body.  Then  he  sharpened  a  stick  and  gave  it 
to  his  brother  and  said :  "  Now  take  the  bundle 
of  meat,  and  I  will  let  you  down  over  the 
bank.  You  must  put  the  meat  on  a  ledge  of 
the  cliff,  and  when  the  birds  come  you  must 
feed  them.  Give  a  piece  to  the  first  one  that 
comes,  and  then  take  your  sharp  stick  and  get 
another  piece,  and  so  feed  all  the  birds.  They 
are  the  ones  that  have  power,  and  they  can 
take  pity  on  you."  So  he  let  the  chief's  son 
down. 

The  first  bird  that  came  was  a  buzzard,  then 
an  eagle,  then  hawks  and  owls,  all  kinds  of 
birds  that  kill  their  prey.  He  fed  them  all. 
While  he  was  doing  this,  the  poor  boy  was  above 
lying  on  top  of  the  bank.  Late  in  the  after 
noon,  just  as  the  sun  was  going  down,  he  saw, 
far  up  the  river,  what  looked  like  a  flock  of 
geese  coming.  They  came  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  at  last  passed  out  of  sight  under  the  bank. 
Afterwards,  when  he  looked  down  on  the  river, 
he  could  see  in  the  water  red  light  as  if  it  were 
all  on  fire,  and  as  he  lay  on  the  bank  he  could 
105 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

hear  down  below  him  the  sound  of  drumming 
and  singing  just  as  plain  as  could  be,  and  all  the 
time  the  chief's  son  was  hanging  there  in  front 
of  the  bank,  and  the  poor  boy  would  call  down 
to  him  to  cry  and  ask  the  animals  to  take  pity- 
on  him.  When  Medicine  Bear  had  done  this, 
he  started  back  and  went  home,  leaving  the 
chief's  son  hanging  there. 

The  chief's  son  stayed  there  all  the  night 
and  all  the  next  day,  and  for  three  days  and 
nights,  and  on  the  night  of  the  fourth  day  he 
fell  asleep.  When  he  awoke  he  was  in  a  lodge. 
It  was  under  the  Missouri  River.  When  he  look 
ed  about  him  he  saw  that  those  in  the  lodge 
were  all  animals.  There  was  the  beaver,  there 
was  the  otter,  two  buffalo,  the  antelope,  hawks, 
owls,  ermines,  bears,  frogs,  woodpeckers,  cat 
fish — all  kinds  of  animals.  On  each  side  of 
the  lodge  was  a  little  pool,  and  in  each  pool 
sat  a  goose,  and  every  time  they  sang,  the  geese 
would  shake  their  wings  on  the  water,  and  it 
sounded  just  like  drumming.  The  chief  of  the 
animals  spoke  to  him,  saying :  "  My  son,  at 
this  time  we  can  do  nothing  for  you.  We  must 
first  send  our  messenger  up  to  the  Bear's  lodge 
to  ask  him  what  we  may  do  for  you."  While 
106 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 

he  was  saying  this  the  Bear's  servant  entered 
the  lodge  and  said :  "  My  father,  it  is  all  right. 
Our  father  the  Bear  told  me  to  say  to  you  that 
his  son  has  sent  this  young  man  to  you,  and  you 
must  exert  all  your  power  for  him." 

E"ow  the  animals  began  to  make  ready  to 
use  their  power  to  help  the  chief's  son.  First 
the  Beaver  talked  to  the  young  man,  to  tell 
him  of  his  powers  and  his  ways,  so  that  he 
might  perform  wonderful  acts.  How  he  should 
take  the  branch  of  a  tree  and  strike  a  man  with 
its  point  and  it  would  go  through  him,  and  then 
how  to  draw  it  out  and  to  make  the  man  well 
again.  He  gave  him  the  power  to  do  this.  He 
taught  him  how  to  take  a  stick  two  feet  long 
and  swallow  it,  and  then  take  it  out  again  from 
his  throat,  and  gave  him  this  power. 

The  Otter  gave  him  the  power,  if  his  ene 
mies  ever  attacked  him,  to  break  their  arrows 
with  his  teeth  and  shoot  back  the  shaft  with 
out  a  spike,  and  if  he  hit  an  enemy  with  the 
shaft,  it  would  kill  him.  "  The  poison  from 
your  mouth  will  kill  him/'  he  said. 

The  Ground-dog  said :  "  My  son,  here  is  my 
little  one.  I  give  him  to  you.  Take  him,  and 
if  you  have  an  enemy  among  the  doctors  in 
107 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

your  tribe,  take  this  little  one  down  to  the  wa 
ter  early  in  the  morning  and  dip  his  nose  in  the 
water,  and  when  you  take  it  out  it  will  have  a 
piece  of  liver  in  its  mouth.  The  man  who  has 
tried  to  kill  you  will  be  found  dead.77 

The  Owl  said :  "  My  son,  I  give  you  power 
to  see  in  the  night.  When  you  go  on  the  war 
path  and  want  to  take  horses,  the  night  will 
be  like  daytime  for  you.77 

The  Hawk  said :  "  My  son,  I  give  you  power 
to  run  swiftly,  and  I  give  you  my  war-club, 
which  is  my  wing.  You  shall  strike  your  en 
emy  with  it  only  once,  and  the  blow  shall  kill 
him.  Take  also  this  little  black  rope ;  you  shall 
use  it  when  you  go  on  the  war-path  to  catch 
horses.  Take  also  this  scalp  which  you  see 
hanging  down  from  my  claw.  You  shall  be  a 
great  man  for  scalping.'7 

Each  of  the  other  animals  gave  him  all  his 
kinds  of  power. 

For  two  days  and  two  nights  they  taught 
him  the  different  kinds  of  power,  and  for  two 
days  and  two  nights  they  taught  him  the  dif 
ferent  kinds  of  roots  and  herbs  for  healing  the 
sick.  They  said  to  him :  "  You  shall  be  the 
great  doctor  of  your  people.  Every  now  and 
108 


The  Grizzly   Bear's   Medicine 

then  you  must  bring  us  tobacco,  so  that  we  can 
smoke."  They  further  told  him  that  at  this 
time  they  could  teach  him  only  a  little,  but 
that  afterwards,  one  at  a  time,  they  would  meet 
him  out  on  the  prairie,  and  would  teach  him 
more.  At  last  they  said :  "  Now  it  is  time  for 
you  to  go.  Your  friend  has  come,  and  is  wait 
ing  for  you  out  on  the  prairie." 

The  Buffalo  now  stood  up  and  said :  "  My 
son,  I  want  to  be  with  you  always.  I  give  you 
my  robe.  Wear  it  wherever  you  go,  that  the 
people  may  know  that  you  come  from  this 
place."  All  the  animals  said,  "  We  want  to  be 
with  you  too."  Each  one  of  the  birds  took  off 
a  feather  and  put  it  on  the  robe,  and  each  ani 
mal  put  one  of  its  claws  on  it,  and  some  put 
medicine  on  it.  In  one  of  the  holes  the  Beaver 
tied  a  little  sweet-grass,  and  others  did  the 
same.  By  the  time  they  were  through,  the  robe 
was  all  covered  with  feathers  and  claws  and 
smelled  sweet.  The  animals  had  put  their 
medicine  on  it  so  that  it  smelled  sweet.  Then 
the  animals  said,  "  Go,  my  son,  to  your  peo 
ple,  and  bring  us  something  to  smoke,  so  that 
we  may  be  satisfied." 

Presently  the  chief's  son  found  himself  upon 
109 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

the  bluff,  facing  his  brother.  His  brother 
grasped  him  in  his  arms  and  said :  "  Oh,  my 
brother,  you  smell  nice.  What  a  fine  robe  you 
have  on!  Look  at  all  these  feathers."  They 
hugged  each  other.  Then  they  went  home  to 
gether.  The  chief's  son  had  a  bundle  that  the 
animals  had  given  him. 

Soon  after  this  the  Pawnees  had  a  big  doc 
tors'  dance.  These  boys  went  into  the  doctors7 
lodge  and  said :  "  Doctors,  you  are  the  head  doc 
tors,  but  we  have  come  to-night  to  visit  you.  We 
want  to  do  a  few  things  ourselves."  The  doctors 
all  said  "  Lau-a."  The  young  men  took  seats 
close  to  the  door,  which  is  the  most  important 
place  in  this  dance.  All  the  doctors  were  sur 
prised,  and  said  "  Uh !" 

The  Bear  boy  got  up  first  and  began  shoot 
ing  at  the  chief's  son,  just  as  he  had  done  with 
the  Bear,  and  all  the  doctors  thought  he  was 
powerful,  shooting  at  this  young  man  and  cur 
ing  him.  When  he  got  through,  it  was  the 
other  boy's  turn.  He  would  take  a  long  sharp 
stick  and  thrust  it  through  his  brother,  and 
then  heal  him  again,  and  then  take  a  knife  and 
stab  him,  and  then  cure  him.  He  did  some 
powerful  things,  more  so  than  his  brother  had 
110 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 

done.  After  the  doctors  had  seen  all  these 
things  they  all  said,  "  Let  us  have  these  two 
for  our  head  doctors/'  But  the  poor  boy  said: 
"  Not  so.  This  one  who  is  sitting  by  me  has 
more  power  than  I  have.  He  ought  to  be  the 
head  doctor,  for  I  am  a  warrior,  and  can  never 
stay  in  the  camp  to  doctor  people.  My  brother 
has  gone  into  the  animals7  lodge,  and  they  have 
given  him  more  power  than  I  possess."  So  the 
chief's  son  was  chosen  to  be  the  head  doctor. 

When  the  doctors'  dance  was  over,  the  two 
brothers  at  once  started  to  go  to  the  animals' 
lodge,  carrying  with  them  tobacco  and  a  pipe. 
When  they  got  there,  the  chief's  son  told  his 
brother  to  wait  on  the  bank,  that  he  was  going 
down  to  take  the  tobacco  and  the  pipe  to  his  fa 
thers.  He  jumped  off  the  steep  bank  into  the 
river,  down  into  the  door  of  the  lodge,  and 
went  in.  When  they  saw  him  all  the  animals 
slapped  their  mouths  and  called  out.  They 
were  glad  to  see  him.  After  smoking  with 
them,  he  went  back  to  his  friend.  After  that 
the  chief's  son  would  go  off  by  himself  and 
would  meet  the  animals  on  the  hills.  They 
would  tell  him  about  different  roots,  and  how 
to  doctor  this  disease  and  that.  He  would 
111 


The  Punishment  of  the   Stingy 

come  back  with  some  roots  and  herbs  and  put 
them  away. 

Finally  the  head  chief  sent  for  the  Bear 
man  and  said  to  him :  "  My  son,  I  offered  you 
my  lodge,  my  daughter,  and  the  whole  tribe. 
Now  take  all  this.  Let  me  go  out  of  this  lodge 
and  look  for  another  one,  and  you  stay  here 
with  my  daughter."  The  young  man  said: 
"  What  of  my  brother  ?  Send  for  the  other 
chief.  Let  him  give  his  daughter,  his  lodge, 
his  people,  to  him,  and  this  day  we  will  accept 
your  gifts  to  us.  My  brother  will  after  this  be 
the  head  doctor  of  this  tribe."  The  other  chief, 
when  asked  to  do  this,  agreed,  and  it  was  so 
done. 

The  Bear  man  went  often  on  the  war-path, 
but  his  brother  stayed  at  home,  and  fought 
against  the  enemy  only  when  they  attacked  the 
village.  He  took  charge  of  the  doctors'  lodge. 
The  Bear  man  after  this  had  some  children, 
and  when  they  had  grown  up  he  told  his  son  the 
secrets  of  his  power.  He  was  now  beginning 
to  grow  old,  and  his  son  went  on  the  war-path, 
while  he  stayed  at  home. 

One  night  he  had  a  dream  about  his  father 
the  Bear.  The  Bear  said  to  him :  "  My  son,  I 
112 


The  Grizzly  Bear's  Medicine 

made  you  great  and  powerful  among  your  peo 
ple.  The  hairs  of  my  body  are  falling,  and 
soon  I  shall  die.  Then  you  too  will  die.  Tell 
your  son  all  the  secret  powers  that  I  gave  you, 
He  shall  keep  the  same  power  that  you  have 
had." 

Soon  after  this  the  old  Bear  must  have  died, 
for  the  man  died.  Before  he  died  he  said  to 
his  brother :  "  Do  not  mourn  for  me,  for  I 
shall  always  be  near  you.  Take  care  of  your 
people.  Cure  them  when  they  are  sick,  and  al 
ways  be  their  chief." 

When  the  enemy  came  and  attacked  the  peo 
ple  and  wounded  any,  the  chief's  son  was  al 
ways  there  and  always  cured  them.  He  was  a 
great  doctor.  At  last  he  also  died,  but  his  son 
had  the  same  kind  of  power.  But  these  two 
sons  never  had  so  great  powers  as  their  fathers. 
H 


The  First  Medicine  Lodge 


The  First  Medicine  Lodge 


GREAT  many  winters  ago  the  Pie- 
gans  were  camped  near  a  small  creek. 
Their  lodges  were  arranged  in  a  cir 
cle,  enclosing  a  large  open  space. 
This  was  long  before  they  had  horses.  They 
used  dogs  to  pack  with. 

The  head  chief  had  a  daughter.  She  was 
good  and  beautiful.  Many  young  men  had  ask 
ed  to  marry  her,  but  she  had  refused  them  all. 
One  day  she  went  to  the  stream  for  water.  There 
she  met  a  boy,  well  known  through  the  camp,  be 
cause  of  a  great  scar  on  his  cheek,  which  made 
him  very  ugly.  From  this  the  people  called  him 
Scarf  ace.  He  was  very  poor.  His  mother  and 
father  were  dead,  and  he  lived  with  his  grand 
mother.  His  clothes  were  old  and  torn,  and 
he  wore  about  him  part  of  a  worn  buffalo 
robe.  Yet,  though  his  clothes  were  poor  and 
his  face  was  ugly,  his  heart  was  good,  and  the 
117 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

cruel  taunts  of  his  people  often  made  him  very 
sad. 

When  Scarface  met  the  beautiful  girl,  he 
asked  her  if  she  would  marry  him.  She  looked 
at  him  in  scorn  and  said :  "  Do  you  think  I 
would  marry  such  an  ugly  person  as  you  ?  When 
you  remove  that  great  scar  from  your  face,  come 
and  ask  me."  Then  she  left  him.  He  sat  for 
a  long  time  thinking  over  the  cruel  words  the 
girl  had  spoken.  His  heart  was  sad.  At  last 
he  went  slowly  to  his  grandmother's  lodge. 

When  he  entered  he  said :  "  Grandmother, 
make  me  some  moccasins  and  put  some  dried 
buffalo  meat  in  a  sack  for  me.  I  am  going  away 
and  may  be  gone  a  long  time."  She  gave  him 
the  things  he  asked  for,  and  he  left  the  lodge 
and  started  to  go  to  a  butte  not  far  from  the 
camp. 

When  he  reached  the  top  of  the  butte,  he 
threw  himself  upon  the  ground  and  wept  and 
prayed  to  the  Sun  to  have  pity  on  him  and 
remove  the  scar.  At  last  he  stood  up  and  made 
a  bed  of  the  stones  which  he  found  on  the  side 
of  the  butte.  Then  he  lay  down  to  sleep.  While 
he  slept  a  voice  said  to  him :  "  My  son,  rise, 
and  go  to  the  butte  to  the  right  of  you.  There 
118 


The   First  Medicine  Lodge 

you  will  find  your  father."  He  did  as  the  voice 
had  said. 

When  he  reached  the  place,  he  threw  himself 
on  the  ground  and  wept  as  before,  and  prayed 
the  Sun  to  help  him.  He  made  a  bed  of  stones 
like  the  one  he  had  lain  on  before,  and  while 
he  slept  another  voice  said :  "  My  son,  your 
journey  is  not  yet  ended.  Rise  and  go  to  that 
butte  still  farther  to  the  right.  There  you  will 
find  one  who  will  direct  you  on  your  way." 
Again  he  obeyed  the  voice. 

When  he  reached  this  butte  he  made  his  bed 
as  before,  and  slept,  but  no  voice  spoke  to  him. 
In  the  morning  he  awoke.  As  he  sat  on  the 
ground,  he  was  wondering  what  he  should  do 
next.  Again  a  voice  spoke,  saying,  "  My  friend, 
shut  your  eyes."  He  did  so,  and  in  a  short  time 
the  strange  voice  said,  "  Open  your  eyes  and 
look  about  you." 

When  he  opened  his  eyes,  he  was  far  up  in 
the  blue  sky,  in  another  world.  It  was  all  a 
wide  prairie.  There  were  no  mountains,  no 
trees.  There  were  only  rivers,  with  a  few  bushes 
upon  their  banks.  He  could  now  see  the  person 
who  had  spoken  to  him.  He  was  a  young  man 
about  his  own  age,  but  he  was  very  handsome. 
119 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

He  wore  a  shirt,  leggings,  and  robe  of  some 
strange  animal's  fur,  and  his  moccasins  were 
embroidered  in  strange  and  beautiful  colors  and 
patterns.  The  young  man  said  to  Scarf  ace: 
'c  My  name  is  Sun  Dog.  The  Sun  is  my  father 
and  the  Moon  my  mother.  Yonder  is  my  father's 
lodge.  Let  us  go  to  it.  My  father  is  not  now 
there.  At  night  he  will  enter." 

They  reached  the  lodge.  Very  large  it  was 
and  very  beautiful.  Many  unknown  animals 
were  painted  on  it,  and  behind  it,  hanging  from 
a  tripod,  were  the  war  clothes  of  the  Sun,  made 
of  the  skins  of  strange  animals,  and  trimmed 
with  fine  feathers.  Scarf  ace  was  ashamed  to 
enter  this  beautiful  lodge,  for  his  clothes  were 
poor  and  his  moccasins  were  worn  with  travel; 
but  Sun  Dog  said  to  him,  "  Enter,  my  new 
friend,  and  fear  nothing." 

They  entered.  All  about  were  seats  covered 
with  white  robes,  and  everything  was  strange. 
The  Moon  was  there.  Sun  Dog  approached  her 
and  said :  "  Mother,  I  have  brought  a  young 
man  to  our  lodge  who  is  very  poor.  I  beg  you 
to  have  pity  on  him  and  help  him  in  his 
trouble."  The  Moon  spoke  kindly  to  Scarf  ace, 
and  gave  him  something  to  eat. 
120 


The  First  Medicine  Lodge 

When  it  was  time  for  the  Sun  to  come  home, 
Sun  Dog  hid  Scarf  ace  and  covered  him  up  with 
robes.  When  the  Sun  came  to  the  door,  he 
stopped  and  said,  "  There  is  a  person  here." 
"  Yes,  father/7  said  Sun  Dog,  "  a  good  young 
man,  who  is  in  trouble,  has  come  to  see  you." 
The  Sun  said,  "  Bring  him  to  me."  Sun  Dog 
removed  the  robes  and  brought  Scarface  before 
the  Sun.  The  Sun  looked  at  Scarface  a  short 
time,  and  turning  to  the  Moon,  bade  her  make 
Scarface  as  handsome  as  their  own  son,  and  give 
him  some  nice  clothes  to  wear.  The  Moon  made 
some  medicine  and  rubbed  it  over  Scarface.  In 
a  short  time  he  was  changed  into  a  very  hand 
some  young  man.  The  Moon  took  Sun  Dog  and 
Scarface  before  the  Sun  and  said,  "  O  Sun, 
tell  me  which  is  Sun  Dog."  The  Sun  looked  at 
the  two  boys  for  a  moment,  and  then  pointed  to 
Sun  Dog,  and  said,  "  This  is  our  son."  Again 
the  Moon  rubbed  the  medicine  on  Scarface,  un 
til  she  was  sure  that  the  two  young  men  looked 
alike,  and  again  she  took  them  before  the  Sun 
and  said,  "  O  Sun,  tell  me  now  which  is  our 
son."  He  looked  at  them  a  long  time,  and, 
pointing  to  Scarface,  said,  "  This  must  be  our 


121 


The   Punishment   of  the  Stingy 

In  the  morning  before  leaving  the  lodge,  the 
Sun  called  the  young  men  to  him  and  said, 
"  My  children,  do  not  go  near  that  lodge  by  the 
river,  for  in  it  live  four  large  white  birds  with 
long  bills  with  which  they  pluck  out  people's 
hearts.  I  have  had  four  other  sons,  but  they 
have  all  been  killed  by  these  birds."  Then  he 
left  them. 

The  two  young  men  went  out  hunting.  They 
went  on  and  on,  when  suddenly  Sun  Dog  cried 
out,  "  This  is  the  place  where  my  brothers  were 
killed!  See!  there  are  the  birds  coming  one 
after  another  towards  us.  Let  us  make  haste 
to  get  away."  He  ran  away,  but  Scar  face  wait 
ed  until  the  birds  came  near  him.  As  they  came 
up,  he  struck  each  on  the  head  with  a  club  which 
he  carried,  and  killed  them.  After  some  time 
Sun  Dog  returned,  and  the  young  men  took  the 
birds  home  to  the  lodge. 

The  Moon  was  very  happy  when  she  saw  that 
the  destroyers  of  her  sons  were  dead.  When  the 
Sun  returned  in  the  evening,  Sun  Dog  said, 
"  Father,  my  friend  killed  the  bad  birds  to 
day,"  and  he  showed  them  to  him.  The  Sun 
called  Scarface  to  him  and  dressed  him  in 
clothes  made  of  white  buffalo  skins  and  painted 
122 


The  First  Medicine  Lodge 

his  face  and  said :  "  It  is  now  time,  my  son,  for 
you  to  return  to  your  people,  for  they  need  your 
help.  They  are  beneath  us,  and  not  far  from 
here.  Sun  Dog  will  take  you  and  will  tell  you 
what  I  wish  you  to  do."  After  shaking  hands 
with  the  Sun  and  Moon,  the  two  young  men 
started  on  their  journey. 

After  they  had  gone  some  distance,  they 
stopped.  Sun  Dog  said :  "  Soon  we  will  have 
to  part,  but  first  I  must  tell  you  what  the  Sun 
has  commanded  you  to  do.  If  there  are  any  sick 
or  dying  among  your  people,  in  order  to  make 
them  well  you  must  build  the  Medicine  Lodge. 
First  you  must  get  one  hundred  buffalo  tongues. 
Select  four  pure  women  of  your  tribe  to  help. 
Let  one  woman  make  the  medicine,  another  cut 
thin  and  dry  the  tongues,  and  the  other  two 
boil  the  tongues.  Go  into  the  tall  brush  and  clear 
a  place  for  the  Medicine  Lodge.  When  every 
thing  is  ready,  call  the  people  together  to  take 
part  in  the  dance.  Let  each  take  a  piece  of  the 
tongue,  and  let  all  say  together,  '  Great  Sun, 
let  us  eat  together,  and  grant  to  us  that  our 
people  may  recover.7  If  the  women  you  select 
to  make  the  medicine  and  to  cut  and  boil  the 
tongue  are  pure  women,  the  sick  and  the  dying 
123 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

among  your  people  will  recover;  if  not,  they 
will  die. 

"  Now,  niy  brother,"  continued  Sun  Dog, 
"you  have  heard  the  commands  of  the  Sun. 
You  will  soon  find  yourself  on  the  butte  you 
came  from.  We  must  now  part."  They  shook 
hands.  Sun  Dog  said,  "  Shut  your  eyes."  Scar- 
face  shut  his  eyes,  and  when  he  opened  them  he 
found  himself  sitting  at  the  foot  of  the  butte 
from  which  he  came.  The  circular  camp  lay 
before  him. 

He  went  to  his  grandmother's  lodge,  but  no 
one  recognized  in  the  handsome  young  man 
the  one  who  had  left  them  so  poor  and  ugly. 
All  gathered  about  him  to  listen  to  his  wonder 
ful  story.  He  told  them  of  the  commands  of 
the  Sun,  and  a  short  time  after  made  the  Medi 
cine  Lodge  as  the  Sun  had  commanded.  This 
was  the  first  Medicine  Lodge. 

Scarface  became  a  great  chief  and  all  listened 
to  his  wise  words.  The  beautiful  girl  came  to 
him  and  said,  "  You  are  very  handsome  now, 
and  a  great  chief,  and  I  will  marry  you."  But 
he  sent  her  away.  He  married  good  women  and 
lived  a  long  time.  When  he  died  Sun  Dog  took 
him  back  to  the  Sun,  where  he  lives  forever. 


Thunder   Maker   and   Cold 
Maker 


Thunder  Maker  and   Cold 
Maker 

"  ancient  times,  before  horses  had 
come  from  the  south  and  been  taught 
to  bear  burdens,  the  people  did  not 
move  camp  often,  but  remained  in 
one  place  so  long  as  sufficient  game  could  be 
found  to  furnish  food.  They  shrank  from  tak 
ing  down  their  lodges  and  travelling  over  the 
prairie  to  fresh  hunting-grounds,  for  their  dogs 
could  not  pack  everything,  and  they  themselves 
were  forced  to  carry  heavy  loads  on  their  backs. 
One  season  they  had  hunted  on  a  little  stream 
in  the  foot-hills  since  early  spring.  The  sum 
mer  passed,  the  leaves  began  to  fall,  and  with 
the  approach  of  winter  the  great  herds  of  buf 
falo  slowly  grazed  out  on  the  plains,  and  finally 
disappeared  to  the  eastward.  Hardy  and  warm 
ly  furred  as  they  were  they  feared  the  deep 
snow  and  the  cold  of  the  mountain  country. 
127 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

When  the  last  of  the  buffalo  had  gone,  a  great 
hunter  named  Low  Wolf  thought  that  it  was 
also  time  for  him  to  move.  He  said  to  the 
chiefs :  "  Come,  now,  the  buffalo  have  gone ; 
they  are  our  food;  let  us  too  move  away  from 
the  mountains  and  follow  them." 

But  the  chiefs  said  they  would  not  break 
camp  for  a  while.  "  Snow  will  not  fall  for  one 
or  two  moons/7  they  said,  "  and  there  are  still 
plenty  of  elk,  deer,  moose,  and  other  small 
game  close  by.  Do  not  be  impatient.  Let  us 
wait.'7 

Low  Wolf  would  not  listen  to  them.  "  No," 
he  said,  "  I  am  not  a  hunter  of  small  game. 
The  buffalo  are  my  living,  and  to-morrow  I 
shall  follow  them,  even  if  I  go  alone.77 

The  people  thought  that  he  was  joking;  but 
the  next  morning  they  learned  that  he  meant 
what  he  said,  for  when  they  arose  they  saw 
that  already  his  lodge  had  been  taken  down, 
and  his  wife  and  daughter  were  busy  packing 
the  dogs  and  lashing  the  travois  on  them. 

"  Hold    on,77    said    the    chiefs,    coming   up ; 

"  why  all  this  hurry  ?     It  is  not  safe  for  you 

to  go  alone.    It  is  not  right  for  you  to  take  your 

wife  and  daughter  out  on  the  lonely  plains. 

128 


Thunder  Maker  and  Cold  Maker 

Think  of  all  the  dangers.  Wait  until  we  are 
ready  to  move." 

"  What  the  Low  Wolf  has  said  cannot  be 
unsaid/'  he  replied.  "  I  told  you  that  to-day 
I  should  start  after  the  buffalo,  and  now  I  am 
going." 

For  several  days  the  little  family  travelled 
eastward  along  the  valley  of  the  evergrowing 
stream,  but  found  no  buffalo.  Then  they  turn 
ed  northeast,  and  after  four  nights  on  the  wide 
prairie  saw  before  them  another  valley.  Buf 
falo  were  all  around  them  now,  and  Low  Wolf 
said  that  if  they  could  find  plenty  of  timber 
and  water  he  would  be  content  to  stay  in  this 
place  until  spring.  There  was  a  large  river 
flowing  through  the  valley,  and  along  its  banks 
grew  groves  of  large  cotton-woods  and  willows. 
At  the  edge  of  one  of  these  groves  the  dogs 
were  unpacked  and  the  lodge  put  up  where  it 
was  protected  from  the  wind.  That  night,  as 
the  little  family  sat  about  the  fire  eating  fat 
buffalo  ribs,  Low  Wolf  said :  "  Ah,  how  foolish 
were  the  people  not  to  come  with  me;  here  we 
have  a  fine  sheltered  camp,  plenty  of  wood,  and 
on  all  sides  the  buffalo  darken  the  prairie.  Be 
sides,  down  here  it  is  still  summer  weather, 
i  129 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

while  up  there  where  they  are  it  is  already 
freezing  at  night." 

The  days  passed  happily.  Every  morning 
Low  Wolf  went  out  to  hunt,  and  his  wife  and 
daughter  dried  the  meat  that  he  brought  in, 
tanned  soft  robes  for  sleeping  and  for  covering, 
and  cut  great  piles  of  fire-wood  against  the  cold 
of  approaching  winter. 

One  evening,  Plover  Call,  the  daughter,  went 
out  to  gather  the  night's  wood,  and  while  she 
was  lashing  a  pile  of  it  to  carry  in  she  happen 
ed  to  look  up,  and  saw  standing  near  a  man 
wearing  his  robe  hair  side  out.  He  was  facing 
the  river,  his  back  towards  her,  but  she  supposed 
it  was  her  father,  although  it  seemed  strange 
that  he  should  follow  her  out  into  the  timber, 
as  there  were  no  signs  of  any  enemy  about. 

"  What  are  you  doing  there  ?"  she  asked. 
"  Come,  I  have  gathered  my  wood ;  let  us  go 
home." 

The  man  turned  towards  her  and  lowered 
his  robe  from  his  face,  and  she  saw  that  he 
was  a  stranger — a  handsome  young  man,  with 
light-colored  hair  and  a  white  face.  Strangely 
enough  she  was  not  afraid  of  him,  for  he  had 
a  kind  face,  and  his  blue  eyes  looked  pleasant. 
130 


Thunder  Maker  and  Cold  Maker 

"  Ah,"  he  said,  as  he  slowly  drew  near  where 
she  stood,  "  I  have  come  from  a  far  land.  I 
have  left  my  people,  for  something  told  me  to 
go  in  search  of  a  wife.  When  I  saw  you  I 
knew  that  you  were  the  one  I  was  meant  to 
find.  Let  us  live  together." 

Plover  Call  forgot  her  wood  as  she  looked 
at  him.  "  Come  with  me  to  our  lodge,"  she 
said  at  last,  "  and  I  will  find  out  if  it  may  be 
as  you  ask."  When  they  came  to  it  she  told 
him  to  stand  outside  for  a  little. 

"  Father,  mother,"  she  said,  as  she  entered 
the  doorway,  "  I  have  found  a  young  man  out 
in  the  woods  who  wishes  to  marry  me;  are  you 
willing  that  he  should  ?" 

"  Is  he  strong  and  active  ?"  asked  Low  Wolf. 

"  Is  he  well  clothed  and  good-looking  ?"  the 
mother  inquired. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  girl,  "  he  is  everything  you 
ask,  and  more;  he  is  even  strange-looking,  for 
he  has  a  white  face,  and  his  hair  is  the  color  of 
last  year's  prairie  grass." 

"Well,"  said  Low  Wolf,  "it  matters  not 
about  his  looks,  so  long  as  he  is  an  active  man ; 
yet  it  is  strange  that  he  is  so  different  from  us. 
Tell  him  to  come  in." 

131 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

Plover  Call  went  to  the  doorway  and  beckon 
ed  to  the  young  man,  and  when  he  had  entered, 
her  father  and  mother  motioned  him  to  a  seat, 
and  soon  began  to  talk  to  him,  asking  many  ques 
tions.  The  young  man  replied  readily  to  all  of 
them,  so  after  he  had  considered  for  a  time, 
Low  Wolf  concluded  to  give  him  his  daughter. 
The  next  day  she  and  her  mother  began  to  make 
a  new  lodge,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  finished, 
put  up  and  stored  with  robes  and  clothing,  food 
and  other  things,  the  two  were  married. 

"  I  am  glad  that  you  came/7  the  father  said 
to  the  young  man,  "  and  glad  to  give  you  my 
good  daughter.  We  will  not  be  so  lonely  now, 
and  if  the  enemy  should  come  there  will  be  two 
of  us  to  fight  them." 

The  fourth  day  after  the  young  couple  were 
married  and  had  moved  into  the  new  lodge,  the 
stranger  arose  early,  and  after  a  hurried  meal 
told  Plover  Call  that  he  intended  to  go  hunting. 
His  wife  was  pleased,  and  said  that  he  must 
bring  in  a  deer,  for  she  wished  to  tan  the  skin 
and  make  him  some  moccasins. 

He  picked  up  his  bow-case  and  quiver,  slung 
it  on  his  back  and  started,  and  shortly  after  he 
left   the   lodge,   low,    continuous   rumbling   of 
132 


Thunder  Maker  and  Cold  Maker 

thunder  was  heard,  beginning  quite  near  the 
lodges,  and  finally  dying  away  in  the  distance. 
Plover  Call  and  her  parents  came  out  of  their 
lodges,  looked  around,  and  were  surprised  to 
see  that  there  was  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky;  and 
again  it  was  the  wrong  time  of  year  for  thun 
der.  Moreover,  the  young  man  was  not  to  be 
seen  in  any  direction,  although  he  had  gone 
but  a  moment  before.  It  was  all  very  strange. 

Evening  came;  the  sun  had  gone  down,  and 
the  shadow  of  night  covered  the  valley,  when 
again  thunder  was  heard,  this  time  far  away 
at  first,  and  then  coming  nearer.  Then  pres 
ently  Plover  Call  heard  something  heavy  fall 
by  the  doorway,  and  her  husband  entering,  said : 
"  Well,  I  got  the  deer  for  you.  There  it  lies 
just  outside." 

The  young  woman  was  uneasy ;  she  went  over 
and  consulted  her  father. 

"  Surely  mysterious  things  are  happening 
about  here,"  said  Low  Wolf,  "  and  I  suspect 
your  husband  is  not  what  he  seems  to  be.  Any 
how,  it  is  well  to  be  on  the  safe  side;  do  not 
eat  any  of  the  deer  he  brought  in." 

The  young  woman  went  back  to  her  lodge, 
cut  some  meat  from  the  deer,  and  cooked  it  for 
133 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

her  husband.  While  he  was  eating  she  skinned 
the  animal,  cut  it  into  quarters,  and  hung  it 
out  on  a  near-by  bush.  After  the  evening  meal 
was  over  her  father  came  in,  and  the  two  men 
talked  for  a  long  time  about  hunting  and  war, 
and  her  husband  told  interesting  stories  about 
his  people.  Listening  to  him,  both  Plover  Call 
and  her  father  were  ashamed  of  their  fears, 
and  resolved  to  make  amends  by  treating  the 
young  man  as  kindly  as  they  knew  how. 

The  next  day  the  wind  changed  to  the  north, 
and  there  came  a  light  fall  of  snow ;  no  hunting 
was  done.  The  following  morning  Plover  Call's 
husband  again  started  out  with  his  bow  and  ar 
rows,  and,  as  before,  as  soon  as  he  left  it  thun 
dered  for  a  long  time.  The  fears  of  the  little 
family  were  again  aroused,  and  when  at  night 
the  young  man  returned  after  a  long  rumbling 
of  thunder,  they  were  all  frightened,  and  fear 
ed  that  something  dreadful  was  about  to  happen. 
The  hunter  had  brought  in  another  deer  and 
told  how  he  had  killed  it,  and  where  he  had 
been  hunting. 

"  Why,"  said  Low  Wolf,  "  I  was  out  there, 
too,  this  morning;  it  is  strange  I  did  not  see 
you.    I  should  have  seen  your  tracks  anyhow." 
134 


Thunder  Maker  and  Cold  Maker 

They  learned  the  next  day  that  he  made  no 
tracks.  When  he  started  out  they  watched  him ; 
he  took  four  steps  from  the  lodge  door,  and  then 
suddenly  vanished,  the  thunder  beginning  again 
and  rumbling  away  into  the  distance.  As  he 
disappeared,  a  strange-looking  bird  was  seen 
flying  the  way  the  thunder  was  muttering.  Then 
they  knew  that  this  person  was  really  the  thun 
der  bird,  and  their  hearts  were  filled  with  a 
great  fear. 

Four  times  the  strange  husband  went  hunt 
ing,  always  disappearing  at  the  lodge  door  in  his 
mysterious  way,  always  accompanied  by  thun 
der,  going  and  coming,  never  leaving  any  foot 
prints  beyond  the  lodge.  Yet  when  at  home  he 
was  just  like  any  other  young  man,  light-heart 
ed,  sociable,  and  kind  to  his  wife.  The  morning 
after  his  fourth  hunt  he  said  that  he  must  go 
and  visit  his  people. 

"  It  is  a  very  long  distance  that  I  must  trav 
el,"  he  said  to  them,  "  and  I  may  be  away 
many  moons;  but  do  not  worry,  for  I  shall 
return  as  soon  as  I  can."  With  that  he  left 
the  lodge,  and  peering  through  the  folds  of  the 
doorway,  they  saw  him  vanish  as  before,  and 
as  the  thunder  rolled,  saw  the  bird  flying  out 
135 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

across  the  valley,  over  the  rim  of  the  plain  tow 
ards  the  south. 

The  moons  came,  grew,  and  went,  but  Plover 
Call's  husband  did  not  return.  She  was  glad 
of  it,  and  so  were  her  parents,  for  they  all 
feared  his  terrible,  mysterious  ways. 

One  evening  the  young  woman  was  again 
chopping  wood  by  the  river,  and,  again  looking 
up,  she  saw  a  man  standing  near  her,  wearing 
his  robe  hair  side  out.  Again  she  thought  it 
was  her  father,  but  when  she  addressed  him  he 
turned  around,  and  she  saw  it  was  a  stranger. 
At  first  she  was  sure  it  was  her  husband,  but  as 
he  lowered  his  robe  she  saw  that  he  was  dark- 
faced  and  black-haired  like  herself.  "  Who  are 
you  ?"  she  asked.  "  Why  are  you  here  ?" 

"  I  am  of  your  race,"  he  said,  "  but  from  a 
far-away  tribe.  I  am  seeking  a  wife;  will  you 
marry  me  ?" 

Plover  Call  would  not  answer  his  question, 
but  told  him  to  go  with  her  to  her  parents' 
lodge.  Low  Wolf  decided  that  she  might  marry 
the  stranger  at  once.  "  The  other  one,"  he  said, 
"that  Thunder  Maker,  has  been  gone  a  long 
time,  and  I  am  sure  he  will  never  return.  We 
need  another  drawer  of  the  bow  in  case  of  at- 
136 


Thunder  Maker  and  Cold  Maker 

tack,  so  put  up  your  lodge  again  and  try  to 
live  happily." 

Although  he  had  appeared  rather  strangely, 
and,  like  the  Thunder  Maker,  had  said  he  came 
from  a  far  country,  there  was  nothing  that  seem 
ed  either  odd  or  mysterious  about  Plover  Call's 
new  husband.  He  hunted  with  her  father,  pray 
ed  to  !N"api,  the  creator,  as  she  did,  and  in  no 
respect  was  different  from  any  young  Blackfoot 
she  knew.  He  was  very  kind  and  gentle,  and 
the  girl  soon  loved  him  with  all  her  heart. 
They  lived  together  very  happily.  One  day, 
as  he  sat  in  the  lodge  making  some  arrows,  the 
distant  rumbling  of  thunder  was  heard. 

"  Go !"  his  wife  cried.  "  Leave  here  at  once ; 
the  man  I  told  you  of  is  returning." 

"  I  will  not  leave  this  lodge,"  said  he,  calm 
ly,  "  for  the  Thunder  person,  nor  any  one  else." 

"  But  you  must,"  she  replied ;  "  he  will  be 
angry;  and  oh,  I  fear  him.  Listen!  he  is 
coming  nearer.  Hurry  away  before  it  is  too 
late." 

"  Ah,"  said  her  husband,  "  you  do  not  love 
me,  or  you  would  not  ask  this." 

"  It  is  because  I  do  love  you  that  I  want 
to  have  you  go." 

187 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

"  Say  no  more/7  he  replied ;  "  now  that  I 
know  you  love  me,  I  shall  surely  stay.  I  do 
not  fear  him." 

Suddenly  the  curtain  of  the  doorway  was 
thrown  back  and  the  Thunder  Maker  bounded 
into  the  lodge.  He  was  very  angry.  Streams 
of  lightning  flashed  continuously  from  his  eyes. 
Sheets  of  ill-smelling  smoke,  mingled  with  blue 
flame,  rolled  in  waves  from  his  body.  Plover 
Call  shut  her  eyes,  nearly  fainting  at  the  dread 
ful  sight,  and  her  heart  stood  still  from  fear. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?"  he  cried  to  the 
man  calmly  scraping  his  arrows.  "  What  are 
you  doing  here  in  my  lodge?  Go  at  once,  or 
I  will  kill  you  where  you  sit." 

"  Do  you  go  yourself,"  the  other  replied,  "  or 
it  will  be  the  worse  for  you.  This  is  my  house, 
and  this  woman  whom  you  deserted  is  my  wife." 

Thunder  Maker  sprang  into  the  air  in  fury, 
and  more  fearfully  than  ever  the  lightning 
flashed  from  his  eyes.  Kaising  his  hand  to 
strike,  he  stepped  suddenly  towards  his  enemy, 
but  the  man  as  quickly  held  up  some  soft,  white, 
downy  eagle  feathers,  and  blew  them  from  his 
hand,  and  a  terrible  cold,  biting  wind  filled 
the  lodge.  Thunder  Maker  fell  back.  The 
138 


Thunder  Maker  and  Cold  Maker 

wind  increased,  and  the  lodge  shook  as  if  it 
would  be  blown  away.  Fine,  sharp,  stinging 
frost  -  flakes  hissed  in  through  the  doorway 
and  from  under  the  edges  of  the  lodge  skins. 
Colder  and  colder  it  grew;  and,  trembling, 
quivering,  his  lips  blue,  his  teeth  chattering, 
Thunder  Maker  staggered  to  a  bed  and  fell 
upon  it. 

"  You  have  beaten  me ;  your  power  is  greater 
than  mine/7  he  cried.  "  Oh,  Cold  Maker,  have 
pity!" 

For  Plover  Call's  new  husband  was  Cold 
Maker,  he  who  brings  the  fierce  storms,  the  bit 
ing  wind,  and  drifting,  whirling  snow  from 
out  the  north.  And  now,  as  he  saw  his  enemy 
gasping,  shaking,  and  begging  for  mercy,  as  he 
lay  on  the  bed,  he  laughed.  "  Will  you  prom 
ise  never  to  return ;  never  to  trouble  us  again  ?" 
he  asked.  "  I  will  go,  I  will  go/'  groaned  the 
other.  "  You  promise  ?  Then  go,  and  be  sure 
you  keep  your  word." 

The  cold  wind  and  the  hazy  frost  ceased 
as  suddenly  as  they  had  come.  Thunder  Maker 
staggered  to  his  feet.  He  reeled  out  of  the 
lodge.  Lightning  no  longer  flashed  from  his 
eyes.  The  blue  flame  and  stifling  smoke  no  long- 
139 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

er  rolled  from  his  person.    He  looked  very  poor 
and  sick  as  he  disappeared. 

Now  that  Plover  Call  knew  who  her  new  hus 
band  really  was,  she  was  not  at  all  afraid  of  him, 
although  he  was  one  of  the  deathless  ones, 
who,  for  the  time,  had  taken  the  form  of  man. 
They  continued  to  live  happily  together,  and 
when  summer  came  he  went  with  her  and  her 
parents,  and  joined  the  great  camp  of  the 
Blackfeet. 

Often  Cold  Maker  said  to  her  people  that 
he  could  not  remain  with  them  always,  but  he 
never  told  them  when  he  should  go  away.  "  Af 
ter  I  have  gone,"  he  said  once,  "  I  will  try  to 
warn  you  of  the  approach  of  a  cold  storm. 
When  you  see  a  raven  flying  about  in  the  win 
ter,  and  crying  its  loud  notes,  look  out,  for 
the  cold  storm  will  be  near." 

After  many  years  Plover  Call  died  of  old 
age,  and  Cold  Maker  mourned.  "  He  will  leave 
us  now,"  the  people  said.  They  were  right. 
One  day  he  disappeared  and  was  seen  no  more. 
But  his  words  were  not  forgotten.  Since  that 
time  they  have  named  the  raven  after  him. 
Even  to  this  day  the  raven  comes  to  give  warn 
ing  of  an  approaching  storm. 
140 


The  Blindness  of  Pi-wap-ok 


The  Blindness  of  Pi-wap-ok 


II  -  WAP  -  OK,  Flint  -  knife,  was  a 
Blood  warrior;  he  was  brave  and 
ambitious,  seldom  passing  a  day 
I  idly  in  his  lodge.  If  not  away  on 
the  war-path  against  some  distant  tribe,  he  was 
sure  to  be  out  hunting.  The  burning  heats  of 
summer,  the  cold,  and  the  piercing  snow-drift 
ing  winds  of  winter  did  not  keep  him  back,  if 
he  thought  game  was  to  be  found.  There  were 
always  many  buffalo  hides  and  many  skins  of 
elk,  deer,  and  antelope  stacked  up  about  his 
lodge,  and  within  were  thick  warm  robe  beds, 
and  piles  of  soft  buckskins,  tanned  by  his  wife 
I-kai-si,  the  Squirrel.  None  knew  better  than 
the  poor,  the  blind,  and  the  crippled,  that  the 
parfleches  piled  up  behind  the  beds,  and  filling 
the  space  near  the  doorway,  contained  stores  of 
fat  dried  meat,  rich  pemmican,  marrow  fat, 
dried  berries  and  roots,  to  a  share  of  which  they 
143 


The   Punishment  of  the   Stingy 

were  always  welcome.  The  couple  had  no  chil 
dren,  and  they  said  that  unless  a  crowd  of  guests 
feasted  and  smoked  in  their  lodge  of  an  even 
ing,  they  felt  lonesome.  So  for  many  years 
they  lived,  happy  and  prosperous,  and  then  a 
great  trouble  came  on  them. 

One  day  Pi-wap-ok  returned  from  a  hunt 
and  complained  that  his  eyes  hurt  him.  "  They 
feel  as  if  some  one  had  thrown  sand  in  them," 
he  said.  "  When  I  try  to  see  something  far 
away,  they  fill  with  tears  and  everything  be 
comes  indistinct." 

"  Oh,  that  is  nothing,"  I-kai-si  said  to  him, 
"  the  hard  wind  which  you  have  been  out  in 
all  day  has  made  them  a  little  sore.  I'll  stew 
some  of  those  leaves  my  old  grandmother  used 
to  say  were  good  for  the  eyes,  and  after  you 
have  bathed  them  once  or  twice,  no  doubt  you 
will  see  clearly  again." 

The  lotion  was  used  for  a  day  or  two,  but 
the  inflammation  increased.  A  great  doctor 
was  called  in ;  he  looked  carefully  at  the  red 
lids  and  the  thin,  ever  -  spreading  film  cover~ 
ing  the  eyes,  and  prescribed  a  steam  bath,  into 
which  he  threw  certain  herbs.  It  did  no  good, 
and  a  great  medicine  man  was  sent  for.  He 
144 


The   Blindness  of   Pi-wap-6k 

came  with  ceremony,  dressed  in  a  bear  -  skin 
robe,  carrying  a  bag  of  mysterious  medicines, 
and  shaking  his  rattles  as  he  entered  the  lodge. 
Seating  himself  by  the  patient,  he  asked  many 
questions  as  he  examined  the  swollen  eyes.  At 
last  he  inquired  if  Pi-wap-ok  had  experienced 
unpleasant  dreams  of  late. 

"  Yes,"  the  sick  man  replied,  "  the  night  be 
fore  this  affliction  came  upon  me,  I  had  a  ter 
rible  dream ;  you  remember  that  I.  killed  two 
Crow  warriors  this  spring  when  we  had  the 
JtatTe~'wTtF  them  at  the  Yellow  Eiver.  Well,  I 
was  fighting  it  all  over  again  in  my  sleep.  I 
had  stabbed  and  taken  the  scalp  of  one  Crow, 
and  was  turning  to  struggle  with  the  other, 
when  the  dead  one  sprang  up,  all  bleeding  and 
sightless,  the  loose  skin  of  the  forehead  hang 
ing  over  his  eyes,  and  with  a  loud  cry  struck 
me  with  the  war-club  still  hanging  from  his 
wrist.  Then  I  woke,  frightened  and  trembling 
from  the  awful  sight." 

"  Ah !"  said  the  medicine  man,  after  think' 
ing  a  little.  "  That  explains  it  all ;  the  ghost  of 
some  enemy  you  have  killed  is  near  here,  and  is 
blinding  you  in  some  mysterious  way.  Well,  let 
me  get  to  work ;  perhaps  I  can  drive  him  away." 
K  145 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

He  opened  the  medicine  bag  and  took  from 
it  a  long  pipe  stem  painted  red  and  black,  to 
which  was  tied  a  small  buckskin  sack,  orna 
mented  with  the  feathers  of  certain  small  birds, 
and  curious  claws  and  teeth.  No  one  but  he 
knew  what  was  inside  the  little  sack;  it  was 
his  secret  helper.  "  Hai  -  yu,"  he  cried  to  it, 
entreatingly.  "  Hai-yu,  you  certain  thing  of 
the  earth.  Help  me  now;  help  me  to  drive 
away  the  ghosts  from  this  sufferer's  eyes.  As 
you  long  ago  told  me  in  my  dreams  to  do,  fa 
vored  one  of  the  Sun,  that  I  will  now  do.  In 
tercede  for  us  all  here  to-day;  ask  the  Sun  to 
have  pity  on  us  all ;  to  grant  us  long  life,  good 
health,  and  sufficient  food." 

Such  was  his  prayer.  He  knelt  beside  Pi- 
wap-6k,  and  began  an  ancient  medicine  song, 
shaking  his  rattles  and  motioning  the  unseen 
spirit  to  depart.  At  times  he  picked  up  the 
long  stem  and  blew  through  it  on  the  inflamed 
eyes,  calling  out  at  the  end  of  every  breath: 
"  Whooh !  Ghost,  retire." 

"  How  do  you  feel  ?"  he  asked,  when  about 
to  leave,  after  many  songs  and  prayers,  and 
blowings  through  the  stem. 

"  Oh,"  Pi-wap-6k  replied,  "  I  can't  say  that 
146 


The  Blindness  of  Pi-wap-ok 

I  see  any  plainer,  but  I  think  my  eyes  are  not 
so  painful." 

"  Ah !"  the  medicine  man  said,  "  that  is  but 
natural ;  you  cannot  recover  at  once ;  when  we 
have  driven  the  ghost  away  for  good,  then  it 
will  still  take  time  for  the  eyes  to  become 
clear." 

After  some  days  it  was  found  that  the  medi 
cine  man's  charms  had  failed.  One  after  an 
other,  the  doctors  and  mystery  men  of  the  tribe 
were  called  in.  This  was  expensive.  One  de 
manded  two  horses,  another  a  gun  and  blanket, 
another  three  horses;  another  would  not  step 
inside  the  lodge  until  he  had  been  paid  ten 
horses.  One  by  one  Pi-wap-ok's  herd  changed 
hands;  little  by  little  the  store  of  soft  robes 
and  food  disappeared,  and  the  lodge  became 
bare.  But  the  afflicted  one  did  not  get  well. 
For  a  time  he  could  see  objects  dimly,  then 
they  became  mere  shadows ;  then  the  light  went 
out  entirely.  Pi-wap-ok  was  blind. 

It  was  hard  for  the  man  who  had  led  such 
an  active  life  to  sit  idly  in  his  lodge  day  after 
day.  He  visited  but  little  from  lodge  to  lodge, 
for  he  did  not  like  to  ask  any  one  to  lead  him 
about  here  and  there.  His  wife  was  kind, 
147 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

cheering  him  with  her  constant  talk  and  mak 
ing  light  of  their  great  misfortune.  She  work 
ed  hard  to  provide  things  as  of  old,  by  tanning 
for  a  share  the  hides  and  skins  brought  in  by 
hunters.  The  people  were  all  kind.  They  did 
not  forget  how  generous  the  blind  one  had  been 
in  his  prosperous  days,  and  they  came  daily  to 
relieve  his  poverty  with  gifts  of  meat,  and  even 
tongues  and  pemmican.  Of  an  evening  the 
chiefs  and  warriors  would  assemble  in  his  lodge 
as  before,  to  smoke  and  talk  and  cheer  his  spir 
its.  Through  all  the  pain,  and  the  darkness 
of  constant  night,  Pi-wap-ok  kept  up  a  good 
heart,  though  at  times,  when  he  thought  of  the 
sunlight  shimmering  over  the  yellow  prairie 
and  painting  the  tops  of  the  distant  mountains 
with  wondrous  color,  he  was  very  sad  to  think 
that  he  was. never  again  to  behold  it  all,  never 
again  to  join  in  the  chase,  never  again  to  ex 
perience  the  fierce  joy  of  battle.  One  thing 
that  kept  him  up  was  the  thought  that  by  some 
good  chance  he  might,  some  day,  be  cured.  He 
remembered  the  stories  of  the  ancient  ones  who 
had  been  made  well  by  their  brothers,  the  ani 
mals  of  the  plain  and  forest,  of  the  air  and  the 
water,  and  he  thought  that  they  might  help 
148 


The  Blindness  of  Pi-wap-6k 

him  too,  if  only  he  had  an  opportunity  to  meet 
them. 

The  people  were  camping  along  the  foothills 
of  the  mountains,  and  one  evening,  after  a  long 
day's  travel,  the  lodges  were  pitched  by  a  wood 
ed  stream,  and  right  under  a  high  sandstone 
cliff  which  formed  one  side  of  the  valley.  The 
next  morning,  while  yet  the  people  slept  and 
even  the  dogs  were  quiet,  while  not  a  stir  of 
any  kind  broke  the  stillness  of  the  camp,  Pi- 
wap-ok,  restlessly  turning  on  his  bed,  heard  the 
shrill  cry  of  a  bald  eagle  (Ksik-i-kinni,  white- 
head),  now  near,  now  far,  as  it  circled  around 
and  around  above  the  valley.  In  his  mind  he 
saw  the  great  bird  soar,  now  high,  now  low, 
with  scarcely  a  movement  of  its  powerful 
wings,  saw  the  flash  of  golden  light  on  its  body 
as  it  turned  to  the  rising  sun.  "  Ah,"  he 
thought,  "  if  my  sight  were  only  as  good  as 
that  bird's,  how  happy  I  should  be!  Far  up 
in  the  air,  it  looks  down  upon  the  world,  and 
nothing  escapes  its  eye,  from  the  great  brown 
buffalo  quietly  grazing  to  the  little  ground 
squirrel  hunting  about  its  hole  for  a  root  of 


Presently  the  camp  awoke  to  another  day  of 
149 


The   Punishment  of  the   Stingy 

the  chase,  of  toil,  of  feasting,  and  of  play. 
I-kai-si  arose,  built  a  fire,  and  cooked  the  morn 
ing  meal.  A  friend  dropped  in  to  share  it  and 
tell  of  a  recent  exciting  bear  hunt.  Pi-wap-ok 
scarcely  heard  him,  for  he  was  still  thinking  of 
the  great  bird  swinging  so  strong  and  free  in 
the  blue  sky  above.  All  at  once  he  realized  that 
here,  perhaps,  was  the  opportunity  he  had  long 
sought ;  here,  close  by,  was  a  "  little  brother," 
as  his  fathers  called  them,  more  keen-eyed  than 
any  other  living  thing.  Surely  it  knew  how 
to  keep  the  eyes  bright  and  clear,  how  to  cure 
them  if  they  became  diseased.  "  Friend,"  he 
said  to  his  guest,  "  this  morning,  when  all  was 
still,  I  heard  a  whitehead  sounding  its  cry  as 
it  circled  around  above  us.  Did  you  happen  to 
see  it?" 

"  Yes,"  the  man  replied,  "  it  has  a  nest  here, 
and  just  as  I  came  in  I  saw  it  carrying 
something  to  feed  its  young.  Far  up  on  the 
cliff  by  which  we  are  camped  is  a  short  pine- 
tree,  growing  out  from  the  climbing  rock; 
there,  in  the  branches,  the  bird  has  built  its 
home." 

"Friend,"  Pi-wap-ok  cried;  "it  is  as  I 
thought:  my  chance  has  come.  I  beg  you  to 
150 


The  Blindness  of  Pi-wap-ok 

guide  me  to  that  place,  for  I  believe  the  trav 
eller  of  the  sky  can  cure  me.'7 

"  Hai-ya,"  the  friend  exclaimed,  "  you  know 
not  what  you  ask.  With  my  good  eyes,  and  see 
ing  plainly  where  to  cling  and  step,  it  would 
be  a  hard  task  to  reach  that  height;  for  you 
it  would  be  sure  death  to  attempt  the  climb.7' 

"  Even  so,77  the  blind  one  replied,  "  yet  must 
I  try  to  do  it.  Death  comes  in  many  ways.  It 
stares  us  in  the  face  at  every  turn.  Wherever 
we  go,  whatever  we  do,  it  lies  in  wait  for  us, 
like  a  panther  for  the  deer  by  a  forest  trail. 
I  am  not  afraid ;  have  pity  and  help  me  try  to 
reach  that  nest.77 

I-kai-si  cried,  and  begged  him  to  think  no 
more  of  such  a  dangerous  thing ;  the  friend  told 
how  straight  and  high  the  cliff  was,  how  diffi 
cult  to  climb,  but  they  talked  in  vain.  He  said 
that  if  no  one  would  help  him,  he  would  go 
alone,  on  until  he  fell  and  died.  At  length, 
seeing  that  he  was  not  to  be  turned  from  this 
which  he  had  set  his  mind  upon,  the  friend 
consented  to  be  his  guide,  and  they  started. 

It  was  but  a  few  steps  to  the  foot  of  the  cliff, 
where  the  fallen  rocks  made  a  sloping  hill; 
they  soon  surmounted  this,  and  then  the  climb 
151 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

began.  Sometimes  they  were  side  by  side,  the 
leader  guiding  the  blind  one's  hands  and  feet, 
and  again  he  was  ahead,  and  reaching  down 
would  pull  Pi-wap-ok  up  on  a  narrow  shelf. 
All  the  people  of  the  camp  stood  watching  them 
with  wide-staring  eyes,  and  as  the  two  went  on, 
higher  and  higher,  over  places  where  it  seemed 
there  was  no  jutting  rock  to  offer  foothold,  they 
held  their  breath,  fearing,  expecting,  that  the 
next  step  would  be  the  climbers'  last. 

Pi-wap-6k's  courage  won.  At  last,  tired  and 
breathless,  they  came  to  where  the  gnarled  and 
stunted  tree  hung  to  the  cliff's  face  by  its  giant 
roots.  "Hai!"  said  the  guide;  :<  I  never 
thought  we  would  reach  it;  here  we  are  at  last. 
And  now,  what  next  ?" 

"  Help  me  up  into  the  nest." 
«  That  I  cannot  do.     There  is  no  room  for 
more  than  one.     The  limb  would  break  if  both 
of  us  were  on  it."  ?) 

«  Then,"  said  Pi-wap-ok,  "  I  will  go  alone, 
and  he  began  to  climb  out  on  the  trunk,  his 
friend  telling  him  just  where  to  reach  for  a 
hold  on  the  spreading  branches.  Then  came 
the  most  dangerous  feat  of  all,  to  climb  over 
the  rim  of  the  wide  and  loose-sticked  nest;  but 
152 


The  Blindness  of  Pi-wap-ok 

that  too  was  accomplished,  and  the  tired  man 
lay  down  in  its  hollow  beside  the  scared  and 
hissing  fledglings.  "  Go/'  he  called  out  to  his 
friend,  "go  and  leave  me  for  a  time  here 
alone." 

The  young  man  climbed  on  up  to  the  sum 
mit  of  the  cliff,  and  walked  away  to  a  distant 
point,  where  he  waited  until  he  should  be 
called. 

Pi-wap-6k  lay  motionless;  the  young  birds 
ceased  their  frightened  cries,  and  all  was  still 
save  for  the  breeze,  which  sung  through  the 
tree-top  with  a  mournful  sound.  If  the  limb 
on  which  the  nest  was  built  gave  way  from 
his  added  weight,  he  knew  that  he  would  fall 
upon  the  rocks  far  below,  a  crushed^  and  shape 
less  mass.  It  was  an  uneasy  and  frightful 
thought. 

And  now  from  afar  the  parent  bird  espied 
him  in  the  nest,  and  swooped  down  with  a  ter 
rible  rushing  roar,  like  far-off  thunder.  Down, 
down,  she  came,  swift  as  an  arrow,  to  the  very 
edge  of  the  nest,  and  then  soared  upward  with 
a  bound,  the  rushing  air  behind  swaying  the 
tree  as  if  a  hurricane  was  passing.  Again  and 
again,  four  times  in  all,  the  bird  made  a  rush- 
153 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

ing  dive  at  the  helpless  man,  and  each  time  he 
heard  its  nearing  cry  he  prayed,  crying  out  that 
he  had  not  come  to  harm  its  young,  but  to  ask 
its  aid.  And  at  last  the  whitehead  seemed  to 
understand,  for  after  the  fourth  fierce  rush,  it 
slowly  sailed  around  and  settled  on  the  edge 
of  the  nest. 

"  Hai-yu"  Pi-wap-ok  cried,  "  be  you  male  or 
female,  father  or  mother  of  these  young  birds, 
as  you  love  them,  pity  me." 

"  I  am  their  mother,"  the  bird  replied,  "  and, 
since  you  have  called  upon  me  in  their  name, 
say  what  is  in  your  mind ;  I  will  help  you  if  I 


Then  the  blind  one  told  of  his  affliction,  and 
how  through  great  danger  and  sore  distress  of 
mind  he  had  climbed  the  cliff,  hoping  the  great 
bird  might  cure  him. 

"  Alas,"  said  the  whitehead  when  he  had 
finished,  "  what  you  ask  is  beyond  my  power ; 
nor  could  my  husband,  who  is  away  hunting, 
help  you.  None  of  my  kind  could  make  you 
see  again,  for  we  have  never  had  occasion  to 
treat  the  eyes.  We  live  to  great  age,  but  our 
eyes  remain  strong  and  clear  to  the  very  end." 

Pi-wap-6k  wept.  "Alas!"  he  cried,  "how 
154 


The  Blindness  of   Pi-wap-6k 

my  hopes  have  fallen.  This  long  and  danger 
ous  climb,  after  all,  brings  no  relief." 

"  Not  so/'  said  the  bird.  "  I  cannot  give 
you  sight,  but  in  other  ways  I  can  do  much 
for  you.  Here  is  a  feather  from  my  tail;  take 
it,  and  keep  it  carefully,  and  you  shall  live  to 
old  age.  And  since  you  are  helpless  in  your 
blindness,  I  will  do  more.  I  will  teach  you 
many  wonderful  things,  and  will  give  you 
power  to  heal  the  sick.  Then  you  will  not 
sit  sad  and  idle  in  your  lodge.  The  people 
will  keep  coming  for  you  to  go  here  and  there 
to  heal  them  and  to  practise  your  mysterious 
rites,  and  you  will  be  so  busy  that  you  will 
forget  your  blindness." 

Then  the  bird  began,  and  through  the  long 
morning  taught  Pi-wap-ok,  showing  him  the  se 
cret  of  many  wonderful  things,  telling  him  how 
and  what  to  use  for  certain  ailments.  It  took 
a  long  time  to  explain  it  all,  and  just  as  the 
bird  finished,  the  blind  one  fell  asleep. 

After  a  little  he  awoke.  "  Put  out  your 
hand  and  feel,"  the  whitehead  said.  He  did 
so  and  found  he  was  lying  on  grassy  ground. 

"  You  are  on  the  prairie  at  the  top  of  the 
cliff,"  the  bird  continued ;  "  your  friend  is  sit- 
155 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

ting  away  over  there  on  a  point.    Rise  up  and 
motion  him  to  come,  for  I  must  leave  you  now." 

When  the  young  man  saw  him  beckoning,  he 
came  running  with  all  his  might.  "  Ah !"  he 
cried,  as  he  came  near,  "  you  are  cured." 

"  No,"  Pi-wap-6k  replied.  "  I  am  still  as 
blind  as  ever." 

"  Then  how  came  you  here  ?  How  could  you 
climb  that  awful  cliff  and  still  be  blind  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Pi-wap-6k.  "  I  was 
asleep  in  the  whitehead's  nest,  and  when  I 
awoke  I  was  here." 

The  way  home  was  easy,  for  they  followed 
the  rim  of  the  valley  to  a  point  beyond  the 
cliff,  and  then  descended  a  sloping  hill.  And 
when  they  had  arrived  at  camp  the  people 
came  crowding  around  to  hear  all  that  had 
happened. 

As  the  whitehead  had  said,  Pi-wap-ok  be 
came  a  great  medicine  man  and  healer  of  the 
sick,  and,  through  the  secret  power  that  the 
bird  gave  him,  he  was  able  to  do  many  strange 
things.  He  and  his  wife,  I-kai-si,  lived  to  a 
great  age.  He  was  the  greatest  healer  the 
Bloods  have  ever  had. 

156 


Ragged  Head 


Ragged  Head 


ANY  years  ago  there  was  a 
Perce  Indian  whose  name  was  Rag 
ged  Head.  He  wore  the  long  hair 
on  the  front  of  his  head  tied  up  in 
a  bunch,  and  the  ends  hanging  over  were  rag 
ged  and  of  different  lengths.  This  was  why 
they  gave  him  this  name.  This  man  was  a 
great  warrior.  He  could  not  be  killed.  When 
he  was  a  young  man  his  dream  helper  had  come 
to  him  in  his  sleep  and  had  spoken  to  him, 
saying : 

"  My  son,  you  are  a  man  who  need  not  fear 
to  go  into  battle,  for  neither  arrow  nor  bullet 
nor  lance  nor  knife  can  hurt  you.  You  may 
rush  into  the  very  midst  of  the  enemy,  and 
they  will  all  run  away  from  you.  Take  courage, 
therefore,  take  great  courage."  Then  his  dream 
helper  smoked  with  him. 

But  when  the  dream  helper  had  spoken  to 
159 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

him  in  his  sleep,  and  had  told  him  that  he 
need  not  be  afraid  of  his  enemies,  and  had 
smoked  with  him,  it  had  said  further: 

"  My  son,  some  day  you  must  die,  and  it  may 
be  that  you  will  be  killed  by  your  enemy,  for 
there  is  one  thing  that  can  hurt  you.  Only  one 
thing,  but  of  .this  you  must  be  careful.  If 
you  should  be  shot  with  a  ramrod,  it  will  pierce 
your  flesh  and  you  will  die." 

After  Ragged  Head  had  returned  to  the  camp, 
he  told  this  part  of  his  dream  to  no  one,  ex 
cept  to  two  of  his  close  friends,  for  he  did  not 
wish  it  to  be  known  and  talked  about.  None 
of  these  three  men  thought  much  about  it,  nor 
felt  afraid,  for  every  one  knows  that  people 
when  they  are  in  battle  and  are  trying  to  kill 
their  enemies,  do  not  shoot  ramrods  at  them, 
but  bullets. 

When  this  man  went  to  war  he  did  not  carry 
a  gun,  nor  arrows,  nor  a  lance.  His  weapon 
was  a  great  war-club,  made  from  the  butt  of 
an  elk  antler.  With  this  he  used  to  beat  down 
his  enemies.  In  the  end  of  the  club  he  had 
put  a  lash,  and  he  used  it  also  as  a  riding  quirt. 

Every  summer  Ragged  Head  used  to  cross 
the  mountains  from  his  country  to  the  plains, 
160 


Ragged   Head 

to  hunt  buffalo  and  to  make  war  on  the  Piegans. 
When  he  saw  a  party  of  his  enemies,  he  would 
charge  down  upon  them,  shaking  his  war-club 
and  shouting  out  the  war-cry;  and  when  the 
Piegans  saw  who  it  was  that  was  coming  they 
all  tried  to  get  out  of  his  way,  for  they  knew 
that  he  could  not  be  killed,  and  that  they  could 
not  do  anything  to  hurt  him.  So  he  killed  many 
of  his  enemies,  and  had  great  fame  among  his 
own  people  and  among  those  against  whom  he 
fought.  He  was  a  leader  of  war-parties  and 
always  successful.  Everybody  was  afraid  of 
him,  for  all  people  knew  that  he  had  strong 
spiritual  power,  and  that  he  could  not  be  killed. 

It  was  early  summer.  The  grass  had  started. 
The  snow  was  melting  on  the  mountains.  Al 
ready  the  streams  were  high.  It  was  time  to 
go  to  war. 

From  their  camp  on  the  plains  a  party  of 
Piegans  set  out  on  the  war-path  to  cross  the 
mountains  and  take  horses  from  their  enemies 
on  the  other  side — Snakes,  Flat  Heads,  or  !N"ez 
Perces.  On  foot  they  made  their  way  along 
the  lower  hills,  climbed  up  through  the  narrow 
pass,  and  at  length  stood  on  the  top  of  the 
mountain  range,  from  which  they  could  look 
L  161 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

out  over  the  lower  country  to  the  west.  There, 
in  the  wide  gray  plain  before  them,  they  could 
trace  the  winding  courses  of  many  streams, 
and  from  some  of  them  rose  smokes  which 
showed  that  people  were  camped  there,  and 
they  knew  that  these  people  were  their  ene 
mies. 

While  they  were  stopping  here,  overlooking 
the  country,  the  leader  of  the  war-party  said 
to  his  young  men: 

"  Now,  here  we  will  separate  and  go  off  in 
small  parties  to  see  what  we  can  discover,  and 
after  ten  nights  we  will  all  meet  again  at  the 
Round  Butte  at  the  foot  of  this  mountain,  and 
return  to  our  camp  together." 

So  here  the  party  divided,  going  off  by  twos 
and  threes  to  try  to  find  the  camps  of  their  ene 
mies. 

There  were  two  young  Piegans  who  went  off 
together.  The  younger  of  the  two  carried  a  bow 
and  arrows,  and  the  other  had  an  old  shot-gun 
the  barrels  of  which  had  been  cut  off  short,  so 
that  he  could  carry  it  under  his  robe  without 
its  being  seen.  The  tube  which  had  held  the 
ramrod  in  its  place  had  been  broken  off,  and 
there  was  no  way  to  carry  the  rod  except  in 
162  " 


Ragged   Head 

the  barrel  of  the  gun.  When  the  boy  was  shoot 
ing,  he  held  the  ramrod  in  his  hand. 

After  a  few  days7  travel  these  young  men 
found  a  trail  where  people  had  passed  not  long 
before,  and  following  this  trail,  they  saw  a 
camp,  and  hid  themselves  near  by  to  wait  for 
night  and  then  to  go  to  it  and  take  horses.  This 
was  the  camp  of  the  Nez  Perces,  and  Eagged 
Head  was  its  chief. 

In  the  night,  after  it  was  dark  and  the  camp 
had  become  quiet,  the  young  men  crept  down 
to  the  river,  close  to  the  lodges,  to  see  what  they 
might  do.  The  older  boy  said  to  his  companion, 
"  I  will  go  first  into  the  camp  and  see  how  things 
are  there,  and  perhaps  take  a  horse  or  two,  and 
then  I  will  come  back  here  and  tell  you,  and 
we  can  both  go  back  and  take  more  horses  if 
all  goes  well."  The  other  said,  "  It  is  good ; 
I  will  wait  for  you  here." 

The  older  boy  crossed  the  stream  and  crept 
into  the  camp  and  looked  about.  The  people 
were  sleeping;  it  was  all  quiet,  and  in  front 
of  the  lodges  were  tied  many  fine  horses.  He 
found  two  that  he  liked,  and  cut  the  ropes  that 
held  them,  and  led  them  back  across  the  stream 
to  where  he  had  left  his  friend;  but  when  he 
163 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

reached  the  place  his  friend  was  not  waiting 
there.  So  the  young  man  led  the  horses  into 
the  brush  and  tied  them,  and  crossed  the  stream 
again  for  more.  As  he  was  wading  through  the 
water,  carrying  his  gun  muzzle  up  so  that  the 
ramrod  should  not  fall  out,  and  when  he  was 
near  the  other  bank,  he  saw  a  man  standing 
there,  and  thought  it  was  his  friend. 

When  he  came  close  to  him  he  said :  "  Why 
did  you  not  wait  for  me  on  the  other  side,  as 
you  said  you  would?"  The  person  did  not 
answer,  but  stretched  out  his  left  hand  and 
caught  the  boy  by  the  hair,  pulled  him  for 
ward,  and  raised  a  great  club,  as  if  to  strike 
him. 

Then  the  young  Piegan  was  frightened. 
He  put  up  his  left  hand  to  ward  off  the  blow, 
and  with  his  right  he  pushed  the  muzzle  of  his 
shot-gun  against  the  person's  body  and  pulled 
both  triggers.  The  gun  went  off.  The  man 
fell,  and  the  young  Piegan  quickly  ran  away. 

At  the  sound  of  the  shot  all  the  Nez  Perces 
rushed  out  of  their  lodges  and  up  and  down 
the  stream  to  learn  what  had  happened.  On 
the  river-bank  they  found  Ragged  Head  dead. 
In  his  body  was  the  splintered  ramrod. 
164 


Nothing  Child 


Nothing  Child 


LONG  time  ago  there  lived  in  the 
Blackfoot  camp  a  young  man  who 
did  not  like  company.  He  preferred 
to  be  alone.  He  had  a  wife  but  no 
children,  and  one  young  brother  who  lived  with 
him.  This  was  his  only  close  relation.  This 
man  had  a  tame  bear,  which  he  had  caught  when 
it  was  a  little  cub.  During  the  day  he  went 
hunting,  and  set  traps  and  snares  for  game, 
and  at  night,  when  he  returned  to  tHe  camp, 
he  did  not  go  about  visiting  at  the  other  lodges, 
but  stayed  at  home  by  himself. 

One  day  he  thought  he  would  move  away 
from  the  village  and  camp  alone — just  his  own 
lodge.  They  started,  the  man  and  his  wife, 
and  the  young  brother  and  the  bear.  They 
went  up  towards  the  mountains,  and  camped  in 
the  timber.  The  man  hunted  and  killed  plenty 
of  game,  and  they  stayed  there  for  a  long  time. 
16T 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

While  the  older  brother  was  hunting,  the  young 
er  one  used  to  stay  at  home,  making  arrows 
and  shooting  with  them,  and  at  length  he  be 
came  a  very  good  shot. 

After  a  time  the  younger  brother  had  grown 
big,  and  he  was  a  handsome  boy,  and  the  woman 
fell  in  love  with  him,  but  he  took  no  notice 
of  her. 

One  day,  while  the  young  brother  was  sit 
ting  in  the  lodge  making  arrows,  and  the  woman 
was  outside  tanning  a  hide,  she  called  to  him 
and  said,  "  Oh,  brother,  come  out  and  kill  this 
pretty  bird  that  is  here/7  but  the  boy  was  busy 
smoothing  his  arrows,  and  paid  no  attention. 
Pretty  soon  she  asked  him  again,  and  then  a 
third  time,  and  when  she  called  him  the  fourth 
time  he  got  up  and  went  outside  and  killed 
the  bird  and  gave  it  to  her,  and  then  went  into 
the  lodge  again  and  kept  on  working  at  his 
arrows.  He  did  not  stop  and  talk  with  her. 
Pretty  soon  the  boy  went  off  into  the  timber 
to  try  his  arrows.  The  bear  was  lying  by  the 
door  of  the  lodge. 

The  woman  was  angry  at  the  boy  because 
he  took  no  notice  of  her,  and  she  made  up  her 
mind  that  she  would  be  revenged  on  him.  So 
168 


Nothing  Child 

while  he  was  gone  she  scratched  and  bruised 
her  face  and  tore  her  hair. 

At  night  her  husband  came  home,  and  when 
he  looked  at  his  wife  he  saw  that  her  face  was 
scratched  and  swollen  and  her  hair  all  pulled 
about.  He  sent  out  his  young  brother  to  hang 
up  the  meat  that  he  had  brought  in,  and  the 
boy  went  leaving  arrows  lying  by  the  fire  to 
dry.  While  he  was  gone  the  woman  said  to 
her  husband,  "  Your  brother  has  beaten  me  be 
cause  I  asked  him  to  shoot  a  pretty  bird  for  me." 
She  showed  her  husband  the  scratches  and 
bruises  she  had  made  on  herself,  and  said, 
"  See  how  he  has  used  me." 

When  the  man  heard  this  he  was  angry,  but 
he  said  nothing.  When  the  boy  came  back  from 
hanging  up  the  meat,  he  looked  for  his  arrows 
but  did  not  see  them.  Then  he  asked,  "  Where 
have  you  put  my  arrows  ?"  but  no  one  answered, 
and  at  length  he  saw  the  ends  of  them  among 
the  ashes,  for  his  brother  had  thrown  them  into 
the  fire.  When  the  boy  saw  that  his  arrows 
had  been  burned  he  cried,  and  taking  his  robe 
and  his  bow  and  what  arrows  he  had  left,  he 
went  out  of  the  lodge.  He  made  up  his  mind 
that  he  could  not  live  here  with  his  brother 
169 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

any  longer,  and  decided  to  go  away.  The  bear, 
which  all  this  time  had  been  lying  by  the  door 
of  the  lodge,  listening,  was  angry  at  the  lies 
the  woman  had  told,  and  at  what  her  husband 
had  done,  and  he  got  up  and  went  out  and 
followed  the  boy.  They  travelled  for  a  while 
and  then  slept,  and  the  next  day  went  on  again, 
going  towards  the  mountains. 

Eor  two  days  they  travelled,  and  on  the  third 
day,  as  they  were  going  along,  the  boy  saw 
sitting  in  a  tree-top  a  bird  that  was  white  as 
snow,  and  different  from  any  bird  that  he  had 
seen  before.  He  took  an  arrow  from  his  quiver 
and  shot  the  bird,  and  as  it  fell,  it  caught  among 
the  branches  and  lodged  there.  He  threw  sticks 
at  it,  but  could  not  knock  it  down,  so  he  made 
up  his  mind  that  he  would  climb  the  tree  and 
get  the  bird  and  his  arrow.  When  he  had  tight 
ened  his  belt  and  was  just  about  to  climb  the 
tree,  the  bear  spoke  to  him  and  said :  "  You  had 
better  not  do  this.  If  you  go  up  there  something 
bad  may  happen.  It  will  be  better  to  let  the 
things  go."  But  the  boy  was  very  anxious  to 
get  that  bird  and  his  arrow,  and  would  not 
listen  to  the  bear's  words,  but  began  to  climb 
the  tree. 

170 


Nothing  Child 

He  reached  the  branch  where  the  arrow  was, 
but  when  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to  take  it 
it  moved  up  a  little  higher,  just  beyond  his 
fingers.  So  he  climbed  higher  and  again  reach 
ed  for  the  arrow,  and  again  it  moved  up  a  little 
higher.  He  kept  climbing  and  climbing,  with 
the  arrow  always  moving  in  front  of  him,  until 
at  last  he  climbed  out  of  sight. 

For  the  rest  of  the  day  the  bear  stood  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree,  looking  upward  and  whining 
and  moaning  for  his  friend,  but  he  saw  nothing 
of  him.  About  sundown  all  the  boy's  clothing 
came  tumbling  down  together,  but  nothing  was 
seen  of  the  boy.  The  bear  would  not  leave  the 
tree.  He  waited  there,  hoping  to  see  what  had 
become  of  the  boy,  but  that  was  the  last  of  him. 
He  saw  him  no  more. 

After  the  boy  and  the  bear  had  left  the 
camp,  the  older  brother  kept  thinking  of  what 
had  taken  place.  When  they  did  not  come  back 
he  felt  lonesome  and  sad,  and  began  to  fear 
that  something  would  happen  to  his  young 
brother,  and  at  last  he  made  up  his  mind  that 
he  would  start  out  and  learn  what  had  become 
of  him.  He  left  his  lodge  and  set  out  in  the 
direction  the  two  had  taken.  He  found  their 
171 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

trail  and  followed  it,  and  after  two  days  came 
to  the  tree  and  there  saw  the  bear,  standing 
on  his  hind  feet  and  resting  his  paws  against 
the  tree.  The  man  asked  the  bear  what  had  be 
come  of  the  boy,  but  the  bear  would  not  reply 
to  him.  He  asked  him  the  same  question  again, 
and  a  third  and  a  fourth  time,  and  then  the  bear 
answered  and  said :  "  All  this  trouble  has  come 
upon  us  through  your  fault,  because  you  listen 
ed  to  the  lies  your  woman  told  you.  Your 
brother  has  climbed  this  tree  and  has  gone  out 
of  sight,  and  now  for  three  days  I  have  stood 
here,  waiting  for  him  to  come  down.  His 
clothing  has  fallen  down  from  up  above,  but 
he  does  not  return."  They  waited  by  the  tree 
longer,  but  the  boy  did  not  come  down,  and 
at  length  the  man  said  to  the  bear :  "  My  brother 
is  gone.  He  will  never  come  back.  We  had 
better  go  back  to  the  camp  where  we  can  live." 
The  bear  went  back  with  him. 

On  their  way  the  bear  told  the  man  how  it 
really  had  been,  and  that  it  was  not  the  boy 
who  had  hurt  the  woman,  but  that  she  had 
done  it  herself,  and  in  this  way  had  caused  his 
brother  to  lose  his  life.  Then  the  man  was 
angry,  and  when  they  came  near  to  the  lodge 
172 


Nothing  Child 

he  took  an  arrow  from  his  quiver  and  shot  his 
wife,  and  her  shadow  went  to  the  sand-hills. 

That  night  the  man  said  to  the  bear,  "  Well, 
we  are  only  two  now,  and  for  myself,  I  have 
decided  to  stay  here  and  starve  to  death,  and 
as  for  you,  you  had  better  leave  me  and  go 
your  way  and  make  your  living  as  all  bears 
do."  So  the  bear  went  away  and  did  not 
return. 

One  night  while  the  man  was  lying  asleep, 
he  dreamed  of  the  bear;  and  the  bear  spoke 
to  him  and  said :  "  My  brother,  listen  to  the 
words  that  I  speak  to  you,  and  do  now  what 
I  tell  you  to.  Go  back  to  the  old  camp  of  your 
people,  to  the  cliff  where  they  drive  the  buf 
falo,  the  pis  kun,  and  wait  there.  A  camp  of 
your  people  is  moving  towards  that  place.  They 
are  very  poor  and  have  but  little  to  eat.  It 
may  be  that  you  can  help  them.  Be  sure  to 
do  exactly  as  I  tell  you  from  this  time  on,  and 
in  the  days  to  come  you  will  be  unhappy  no 
longer,  but  will  have  plenty  of  everything  and 
will  have  full  life.  Now  I  wish  you  to-morrow, 
when  you  awake,  to  eat  up  your  lodge  and  every 
thing  that  is  in  it.  This  seems  to  you  like  a 
hard  thing,  something  that  cannot  be  done, 
173 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

but,  by  the  power  that  I  give  you,  you  will  be 
able  to  do  it." 

When  the  man  awoke,  in  the  morning,  he 
thought  for  a  long  time  over  what  the  bear  had 
said  to  him  in  his  sleep,  and  how  it  had  said 
that  in  the  time  to  come  he  would  be  poor  no 
longer,  but  would  have  full  life,  and  how  it 
had  said  that  it  would  give  him  that  power, 
and  he  made  up  his  mind  to  do  as  the  bear 
had  told  him.  He  tore  down  his  lodge  and 
began  to  eat  it,  and  found  that  this  was  not 
a  hard  thing  to  do.  He  ate  the  lodge  and 
the  lining,  his  clothing,  his  wife's  things — 
everything  that  he  could  find  in  the  lodge,  and 
then  took  his  bow  and  arrows  and  started  to 
go  to  the  cliff  as  the  bear  had  told  him  to. 

~Now  since  the  bear  had  left,  the  man  had 
had  no  food  to  eat,  and  on  his  journey  he  found 
himself  getting  weak  and  growing  smaller. 
When  he  reached  the  cliff  there  was  no  camp 
there,  so  he  waited,  and  all  the  time  he  kept  get 
ting  weaker,  and  smaller  and  smaller,  until  he 
was  no  bigger  than  a  year-old  child.  He  thought 
now  that  he  would  surely  die,  and  hid  himself 
under  a  bunch  of  rye  grass. 

The  next  day  the  people  moved  in  and  camp- 
174 


Nothing  Child 

ed  at  this  place.  An  old  woman  went  out  to 
get  some  grass  for  her  bed,  and  while  she  was 
gathering  it,  she  heard  a  sound  as  if  a  little 
child  were  crying.  She  went  in  the  direction 
of  the  sound,  and  under  a  bunch  of  rye  grass 
she  found  a  little  child.  She  carried  him  into 
the  camp  and  took  good  care  of  him.  When 
the  chief  of  the  camp  heard  of  how  she  had 
found  the  child,  he  said  to  the  old  woman, 
"  Take  good  care  of  that  child ;  he  was  put  there 
for  some  good  purpose." 

As  time  passed  the  child  grew  fatter  and 
stronger,  and  the  old  woman  grew  fond  and 
proud  of  him.  They  called  him  Kis  tap  i 
pokau  (Nothing  Child.) 

Near  this  camp  stood  a  tree,  and  every  day 
an  eagle  came  and  alighted  in  the  tree.  The 
chief  had  tried  many  times  to  kill  this  eagle, 
and  so  had  other  men,  but  no  one  could  kill  it. 
When  they  found  that  no  one  could  kill  it,  they 
wanted  it  all  the  more.  The  chief  had  two 
very  pretty  daughters,  and  at  length  he  said 
that  he  would  give  his  daughters  to  any  one 
who  would  kill  this  eagle.  When  this  was  call^ 
ed  out  through  the  camp  by  the  old  crier,  all 
the  young  men  came  out  to  try  to  kill  the  eagle, 
ITS 


The   Punishment   of   the   Stingy 

but  no  one  could  do  it.  At  last  Nothing  Child 
said  to  the  old  woman,  "  Grandmother,  make 
me  some  arrows  so  that  I  can  kill  the  eagle." 
The  old  woman  laughed  when  he  asked  her  this, 
but  she  was  very  fond  of  him,  so  she  tied  a 
string  to  a  deer's  rib  for  a  bow  and  made  him 
some  little  arrows,  and  he  set  out  to  kill  the 
eagle.  When  the  young  men  who  had  been 
shooting  at  the  eagle  saw  the  child  coming  with 
the  tiny  bow,  they  laughed  and  made  fun  of 
him,  but  Nothing  Child  fitted  a  little  arrow 
on  the  string  of  his  bow,  and  shot  and  killed 
the  eagle.  Then  all  who  were  standing  by  were 
astonished,  but  they  said,  "  It  must  have  been 
a  chance  shot."  The  eagle  was  taken  to  the 
chief's  lodge,  and  they  told  him  it  had  been 
killed  by  the  Nothing  Child.  So  he  told  his 
daughters  to  go  and  marry  the  found  boy. 

But  the  young  men  were  not  satisfied  with 
this  decision.  They  said  that  it  was  not  fair, 
that  the  boy  had  made  a  chance  shot,  and  they 
asked  the  chief  to  try  their  skill  in  some  other 
way.  So  the  chief  told  the  young  men  that  they 
might  again  try  their  luck  for  the  young  girls, 
and  that  whoever  killed  a  white  wolf  with  a 
black  tail  should  have  his  daughters.  All  the 
176 


Nothing  Child 

men  went  out  from  the  camp  and  built  their 
wooden  traps,  and  Nothing  Child  also  went 
out  and  made  a  wooden  trap.  The  next  morn 
ing  they  all  went  out  to  visit  their  traps,  and 
in  almost  all  the  traps  they  found  something — 
wolves,  foxes,  badgers,  and  other  animals.  Some 
of  the  wolves  were  white  all  over,  and  some 
were  white  with  gray  tails,  but  no  one  had 
a  white  wolf  with  a  black  tail.  The  Nothing 
Child,  with  his  grandmother,  went  out  from  the 
camp  to  his  trap  in  a  different  direction  from 
the  rest,  and  in  their  trap  they  found  a 
white  wolf  with  a  black  tail.  They  took  it 
into  camp  and  to  the  chief's  lodge,  and  when  he 
saw  it  he  said  that  this  was  the  wolf  he  wanted. 
Now  all  the  young  men  in  the  camp  were 
jealous  of  the  Nothing  Child,  for  it  was  certain 
that  he  would  get  the  chief's  daughters  for  his 
wives.  So  they  went  to  the  chief  and  asked 
him  to  try  his  people  once  more,  that  they 
thought  that  the  Nothing  Child  had  not  killed 
the  wolf  fairly.  So  the  chief  now  said :  "  Who 
ever  will  bring  me  a  white  fox  with  a  black- 
tipped  tail  shall  have  my  daughters.  This  will 
be  the  last  trial,  and  after  this  no  one  need 
complain." 

M  ITT 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

The  young  men  set  their  traps  all  over  the 
prairie,  but  Nothing  Child  asked  his  grand 
mother  to  go  with  him,  and  he  went  to  a  place 
far  from  all  the  others  and  there  set  his  trap. 
The  next  morning  the  young  men  all  went  out 
to  look  at  their  traps.  Some  had  foxes  and  some 
had  other  animals,  but  when  Nothing  Child 
went  to  his  trap,  he  found  in  it  a  white  fox  with 
a  black-tipped  tail,  and  when  it  was  taken  to 
the  chief's  lodge  he  said  that  this  was  the  fox 
he  meant,  and  he  told  his  daughters  to  get  ready 
and  go  and  marry  the  Nothing  Child.  The 
youngest  girl  was  willing  to  do  what  her  father 
ordered,  but  the  elder  was  not. 

They  put  on  their  finest  clothing  and  left 
their  father's  lodge  and  started  for  Nothing 
Child's  home.  As  they  walked  along,  the  elder 
girl  said  to  her  sister,  "  I  am  not  going  to  marry 
this  child,  to  be  laughed  at  by  everybody."  The 
younger  sister  said,  "  I  am  going  to  do  what  my 
father  told  me  to.  It  is  better  to  do  so.  Be 
sides  that,  the  Nothing  Child  must  be  a  very 
powerful  person.  See  how  many  wonderful 
things  he  has  done."  The  elder  girl  said, 
"  Well,  I  am  not  going  to  his  lodge.  I  am  going 
to  marry  Masto  pau  (Raven  Arrow)."  This 
178 


Nothing  Child 

was  a  young  man  who  had  the  power  to  turn 
himself  into  a  raven  whenever  he  wished.  So 
the  elder  girl  went  her  way  to  Raven  Arrow, 
but  the  younger  kept  on  towards  Nothing 
Child's  lodge. 

When  the  girl  came  to  the  lodge  and  went  in, 
the  old  woman  told  her  to  sit  down.  Nothing 
Child  was  playing  at  the  back  of  the  lodge. 
The  girl  said,  "  My  father  sent  me  to  sit  beside 
the  person  who  killed  the  eagle,  the  white  wolf 
with  the  black  tail,  and  the  white  fox  with  the 
black-tipped  tail."  Nothing  Child  said,  "I 
am  the  person  who  did  that,  but  I  do  not  want 
any  woman  to  sit  beside  me."  The  girl  an 
swered  :  "  My  father  sent  me  to  sit  beside  you, 
and  I  shall  stay  here.  I  am  not  going  home 
any  more."  When  the  boy  saw  that  the  girl 
was  resolved  to  stay,  he  said,  "  Very  well,  you 
shall  be  my  wife."  So  she  stayed,  and  was 
pleasant  and  nice  with  the  boy  and  played  with 
him,  and  he  liked  her.  She  saw  that  he  was 
very  poor,  but  she  seemed  to  take  no  notice  of 
that. 

At  this  time  the  camp  was  very  short  of  food. 
The  young  men  scouted  far  and  near  over  the 
prairie,  but  could  find  no  buffalo.  It  was  a 
179 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

hard  time;  everybody  was  hungry.  One  day 
Nothing  Child  said  to  his  wife :  "  'Now  you 
stay  here  for  a  while.  I  am  going  away  for  a 
time.  I  am  going  to  try  to  find  a  band  of 
buffalo  and  bring  them  into  camp."  He  made 
ready  for  his  journey  and  started.  After  he 
had  travelled  a  long  way  he  came  to  a  wet, 
marshy  place  near  the  mountains,  where  in 
summer  many  buffalo  had  been.  Here  he  gath 
ered  up  buffalo  chips,  and  made  great  piles 
of  them  in  a  row,  and  when  he  had  finished, 
he  went  back  some  way,  and  then  came  run 
ning  and  shouting  towards  the  piles  of  chips. 
When  he  got  close  to  them  he  stopped,  and  then 
went  back  again,  and  again  came  running  and 
shouting  upon  the  chips,  but  nothing  happened. 
He  repeated  this  a  third  and  a  fourth  time,  and 
the  fourth  time,  when  he  got  near  the  piles, 
the  chips  turned  into  buffaloes  and  rushed  off 
over  the  prairie,  and  Nothing  Child  ran  them 
towards  the  camp  and  drove  them  over  the  cliff 
into  the  pis  kun,  so  that  once  more  the  camp 
was  supplied  with  meat. 

The  next  day  Nothing  Child  told  his  wife 
to  go  to  her  father's  lodge  for  the  day,  and  not 
to  return  until  night.     After  the  girl  had  gone 
180 


Nothing  Child 

he  spoke  to  his  grandmother  and  said :  "  Grand 
mother,  you  have  seen  what  strange  things  I 
have  done,  and  you  can  see  that  I  have  some 
power.  That  power  which  I  have  was  given 
to  me  by  a  bear  that  has  helped  me,  and  because 
I  have  done  just  what  he  told  me  to  I  have 
been  able  to  accomplish  the  things  that  you 
have  seen  me  do.  I  do  not  know  the  secret 
of  my  power,  but  I  know  that  I  have  it.  Now, 
Grandmother,  I  want  you  to  do  something  for 
me.  I  want  you  to  take  a  rope  and  tie  me  by 
the  feet  to  the  lodge  poles,  so  that  I  may  hang 
head  downward  from  the  poles.  I  am  little, 
and  you  can  easily  hold  me  up."  The  old 
woman  did  as  he  had  told  her,  and  he  hung 
there  head  downward.  Pretty  soon  he  opened 
his  mouth,  and  a  little  piece  of  cowskin  stuck 
out.  Nothing  Child  took  hold  of  this  and  be 
gan  to  pull  on  it,  and  more  and  more  came  out, 
and  at  last  he  had  pulled  out  the  whole  of 
his  old  lodge,  and  then  he  pulled  out  the  lining, 
and  afterwards  many  of  his  old  belongings. 
When  he  had  eaten  all  these  things  they  had 
been  old,  but  now  they  were  new  and  white, 
and  finely  ornamented.  The  lodge  was  paint 
ed,  the  woman's  clothing  was  beautifully  work- 
181 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

ed  with  porcupine  quills ;  there  was  a  new  full 
set  of  war  clothing  for  himself — all  very  fine. 

After  he  had  done  this  Nothing  Child  asked 
the  old  woman  to  untie  him,  and  when  he  was 
on  his  feet  again  it  was  seen  that  he  was  no 
longer  a  child,  but  a  full  -  grown  man,  very 
handsome.  He  told  the  old  woman  to  set  up 
the  new  lodge,  and  she  did  so.  When  his  wife 
returned  she  was  surprised  to  see  all  the  new 
things.  They  looked  strange  to  her.  Also  her 
husband,  who,  when  she  last  saw  him,  was  a 
small  boy  and  rather  ugly,  was  now  a  big,  fine- 
looking  man.  The  girl  was  pleased  with  the 
change,  and  now  they  lived  together  for  a  long 
time  very  happily. 

After  a  time  Raven  Arrow  became  jealous  of 
Nothing  Child  because  of  his  power,  but  Noth 
ing  Child  did  not  notice  this,  and,  because 
Raven  Arrow  was  poor,  he  asked  him  to  come 
and  live  with  him  in  his  lodge.  He  did  so, 
and  they  lived  together  for  some  time,  and  now 
the  elder  daughter  of  the  chief  was  sorry  that 
she  had  not  done  as  her  father  had  told  her  to. 

One  day,  in  the  early  summer,  Nothing 
Child's  wife  said  to  him,  "  Oh,  how  much  I 
would  like  some  fresh  berries  to  eat !"  He  said 
182 


Nothing  Child 

to  her:  "Do  you  want  some  fresh  berries? 
Well,  now,  go  out  and  gather  a  lot  of  sarvis 
berry  branches  and  bring  them  to  me  here  in 
the  lodge.'7  The  woman  did  as  he  had  told 
her,  and  brought  in  the  bushes  and  threw  them 
down  on  the  floor  of  the  lodge.  Then  Nothing 
Child  took  a  tanned  elk-skin  and  covered  the 
bushes  with  it.  In  a  short  time  he  told  his  wife 
to  take  the  skin  off  the  brush,  and  when  she 
did  so  she  was  astonished,  for  she  found  the 
twigs  loaded  with  fine  ripe  berries,  as  though 
they  were  growing. 

Now,  when  Eaven  Arrow's  wife  saw  this  she 
felt  that  she  too  would  like  some  berries,  and 
she  asked  her  husband  if  he  could  do  this.  But 
he  said :  "  No.  It  is  useless  for  me  to  try  to 
do  things  that  I  know  I  cannot  do.  I  can 
change  myself  into  a  raven  and  can  do  many 
other  things,  but  I  cannot  make  ripe  berries 
grow  in  the  spring,  nor  can  I  do  many  other 
things  that  Nothing  Child  does." 

After  some  time  it  happened  that  food  again 
became  scarce  in  the  camp,  and  the  chief  sent 
word  to  his  son-in-law,  asking  him  if  he  could 
not  again  bring  the  buffalo  into  the  camp,  as 
he  had  done  before.  The  hunters  had  been  out 
183 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

and  had  travelled  far  over  the  prairie,  but  they 
could  see  nothing.  Nothing  Child  sent  word 
back  that  this  was  a  hard  thing  he  was  asked 
to  do;  he  feared  he  could  not  do  it,  but  he 
would  try. 

He  made  ready  for  his  journey  and  started, 
travelling  a  long  way  looking  for  the  buffalo, 
but  he  found  none.  He  then  went  to  the  marsh 
wrhere  he  had  made  buffalo  before,  and  again 
made  many  little  piles  of  buffalo  chips  in  rows, 
and  again  went  back  some  distance  and  then 
came  charging  down  on  the  piles  running  and 
shouting.  And  the  fourth  time  he  did  this 
the  piles  of  chips  changed  into  real  buffalo  and 
started  running.  And  Nothing  Child  ran  the 
herd  over  the  cliff,  as  he  had  done  before,  and 
again  the  camp  was  supplied  with  meat.  In 
this  herd  was  one  white  buffalo.  His  wife  met 
him  at  the  cliff,  and  he  told  her  that  this  white 
buffalo  was  hers.  That  she  must  be  careful  of 
the  skin  when  she  had  taken  it  off. 

His  wife  told  her  husband  that  Raven  Arrow 
had  changed  himself  into  a  raven,  and  had 
flown  away  to  look  for  buffalo,  saying  that  if 
he  found  any  he  was  going  to  drive  them  out 
of  the  country.  This  made  Nothing  Child 

184: 


Nothing  Child 

angry,  but  he  said  nothing  and  waited.  One 
day,  as  he  was  sitting  by  the  fire,  Haven  Arrow, 
in  the  shape  of  a  white  raven,  flew  into  the 
lodge  and  lit  on  the  ground  by  him.  When 
Nothing  Child  saw  him  he  seized  him  and  tied 
him  by  the  feet  to  a  lodge  pole  high  up  in  the 
smoke  and  kept  him  there  until  he  was  nearly 
dead  from  the  smoke.  At  last  Nothing  Child 
asked  him  if  he  would  promise  never  again  to 
drive  the  buffalo  away  from  the  people.  Eaven 
Arrow  promised  that  he  would  never  again  do 
so,  and  Nothing  Child  untied  him  and  let  him 
down,  when  he  changed  into  a  man  again.  Up 
to  that  time  ravens  had  always  been  white,  but 
ever  since  the  smoking  that  this  raven  got  they 
have  been  black. 

Nothing  Child  and  his  wife  lived  to  full  age 
and  always  had  plenty  of  everything. 


Shield  Quiver's  Wife 


Shield  Quiver's  Wife 


HEBE  were  two  young  men  grow 
ing  up  in  the  Blackfoot  camp.  They 
were  both  good  warriors  and  were 
making  great  names  for  themselves. 
One  was  lucky  in  taking  horses.  His  name  was 
Shield  Quiver.  The  other  was  fortunate  in 
killing  enemies  when  he  went  to  war.  He  was 
called  Bearhead.  When  either  of  the  two  went 
to  war,  he  always  had  a  big  party  to  follow  him. 
Bearhead  was  jealous  of  Shield  Quiver,  because 
he  always  brought  in  horses. 

One  time  the  Blackfeet  were  camped  at  the 
Bear  Paw  Mountains,  when  Shield  Quiver 
made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  go  off  on  the 
war-path.  When  he  said  that  he  was  going, 
a  large  party  intended  to  .go  with  him. 

Before  he  started  the  chief  of  the  camp  sent 
for  him  to  come  to  his  lodge,  saying  that  he 
wished  to  speak  with  him.    When  Shield  Quiver 
189 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

had  come  to  the  lodge  the  chief  said :  "  Here, 
my  young  man,  now  that  you  are  going  to  war, 
take  my  daughter  with  you,  for  you  are  the 
man  that  ought  to  have  her.  But  you  will  have 
to  be  on  your  guard  against  Bearhead.  He 
wants  my  daughter,  and  for  a  long  time  has 
been  trying  to  get  her,  but  I  cannot  let  him 
have  her.  He  has  a  bad  disposition.  He  has 
had  many  wives,  but,  after  living  with  them 
for  a  short  time,  he  has  got  angry  with  them 
and  killed  them.  I  am  afraid  that  if  I  give 
him  my  daughter  he  might  kill  her." 

Shield  Quiver  thought  for  a  little  while,  and 
then  said :  "  Very  well ;  I  will  go  to  war,  and 
I  will  take  your  daughter  with  me,  but  if  I 
go  with  a  woman  I  cannot  let  men  go  with  me. 
I  shall  have  to  go  alone." 

The  chief  said :  "  I  cannot  say  anything 
about  that.  You  will  do  what  you  think  best. 
I  cannot  advise  you." 

So  Shield  Quiver  took  the  chief's  daughter 
for  his  wife.  He  said  to  his  followers :  "  Now 
I  am  going  to  war,  but  you  men  cannot  come 
with  me.  I  shall  be  gone  two  moons,  and  then 
I  will  come  back.  I  am  going  alone." 

He  started  with  his  young  wife,  and  they 
190 


Shield  Quiver's  Wife 

went  towards  the  Snake  Country.  They  trav 
elled  for  a  good  many  days,  until  they  came  to 
a  range  of  mountains  and  crossed  it.  Then 
they  went  on  towards  the  head  waters  of  a 
stream  that  they  could  see  a  long  way  off.  When 
they  reached  this  stream  they  found  that  the 
Snakes  had  been  camped  there,  and  had  moved 
away  that  day.  The  fires  were  still  burning 
in  the  camp. 

When  Shield  Quiver  found  that  the  Snakes 
had  only  just  moved  from  there,  he  said  to  his 
wife :  "  Here,  let  us  get  back  in  the  brush. 
These  people  are  not  far  from  here.  They  may 
see  us.  We  must  hide  ourselves."  They  went 
back  into  the  brush  and  hid. 

While  they  were  waiting  in  the  brush  a  dark 
cloud  came  up  in  the  west,  and  it  looked  as 
if  they  were  going  to  have  a  storm.  Shield 
Quiver  said  to  his  wife :  "  While  we  have  to 
wait,  I  will  fix  up  a  little  shelter  of  brush  here, 
so  that  we  may  keep  dry;  but  to-night  we  will 
go  to  the  camp  and  take  horses." 

"  Very   well,"    said   his   wife,    "  while   you 

are  fixing  the  place,  I  will  go  around  the  point 

and  into  the  old  camp  and  will  see  if  I  can 

find  anything  there  that  has  been  left  behind." 

191 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

For  .often  something  may  be  forgotten  and  left 
in  the  camp. 

That  day  the  Snakes  had  left  this  camp,  and 
had  moved  over  to  another  creek.  The  head 
chief  of  the  Snakes  had  but  one  son,  a  fine- 
looking  young  man — the  handsomest  in  all  the 
Snake  camp.  That  morning,  before  they 
moved,  he  had  painted  himself  and  had  dressed 
himself  finely,  and  after  he  had  finished  he 
handed  his  mother  his  sack  of  paints  to  pack. 
While  his  mother  was  packing,  she  put  down 
the  paints  in  a  little  patch  of  brush,  near  the 
lodge,  and  then  went  away  and  forgot  them. 

When  the  young  man  came  into  camp  that 
evening  he  said  to  his  mother,  "  Mother,  where 
are  my  paints  ?"  Then  his  mother  remem 
bered  that  she  had  left  them  in  the  camp  they 
had  just  come  from.  She  said,  "  Oh,  my  son, 
I  forgot  the  sack,  and  left  it  in  a  little  patch 
of  brush  just  back  of  where  the  lodge  stood." 
The  young  man  caught  up  a  horse  and  went 
back  to  get  it  that  same  evening. 

When  he  rode  into  the  old  camp,  and  came 

to  where  the  lodge  had  been,  he  saw  there  on 

her  knees  a  woman  with  an  elk  robe  over  her 

head,  and  in  her  hands  his  paints,  which  she 

192 


Shield  Quiver's  Wife 

was  looking  at.  When  he  rode  up  to  her,  and 
when  she  looked  up  at  him,  he  saw  that  she 
was  very  pretty,  and  he  liked  her  as  soon  as 
he  looked  at  her;  and  she,  when  she  saw  him, 
so  handsome  and  finely  dressed  and  painted, 
liked  him. 

He  made  signs  to  her,  saying,  "  Who  are 
you,  and  what  tribe  do  you  belong  to?"  She 
signed  back  to  him  that  she  was  a  Blackfoot. 
Then  she  asked  him,  "  Who  and  what  are  you  ?" 
He  answered,  "A  Snake."  He  asked  her  by 
signs,  "  Where  is  the  party  that  you  are  with  ?" 
She  said,  *  There  are  only  two  of  us."  He 
said,  "  Come,  get  on  my  horse  behind  me  here, 
and  let  us  go  to  my  camp."  She  answered: 
"  No,  there  are  some  things  that  I  have  here 
that  I  want  to  get.  Then  I  will  go  with  you." 
Then  she  thought  a  little  and  said :  "  The  only 
other  person  here  is  my  husband.  Why  do  you 
not  kill  him?  I  will  help  you."  The  Snake 
said:  "It  is  good.  I  will  do  it."  The  girl 
said  to  him :  "  I  will  go  to  him,  and  do  you 
creep  through  the  brush,  and  as  soon  as  I  see 
you  I  will  throw  my  robe  around  him  and 
hold  him,  and  you  can  kill  him  with  your 
lance." 

N  193 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

She  went  back  to  the  camping  -  place,  and 
when  she  got  there  her  husband  was  stooping 
down  hobbling  the  horses.  The  Snake  was  right 
behind  her,  creeping  through  the  brush.  She 
walked  up  to  her  husband  and  threw  herself 
down  over  him,  and  kissed  him  while  he  was 
hobbling  the  horses.  He  looked  up  at  her  and 
laughed.  He  thought  she  was  only  playing 
with  him.  In  a  minute  he  heard  the  footsteps 
of  some  one  coming,  running,  and  he  said, 
"  Look  out !  here  comes  somebody,"  and  he 
tried  to  throw  her  off,  but  he  could  not.  He 
raised  himself  up  while  she  clung  to  him,  and 
the  Snake  made  a  pass  at  him  with  the  lance, 
but  he  was  afraid  of  killing-  the  woman,  and  he 

o  / 

missed  the  man,  and  Shield  Quiver  caught  hold 
of  the  lance.  He  kept  calling  to  his  wife: 
"  Let  go  of  me.  This  man  is  trying  to  kill  me. 
He  will  kill  us  both.  Let  us  try  to  save  our 
selves." 

Shield  Quiver  and  the  Snake  wrestled  and 
tugged  backward  and  forward  to  see  who  should 
get  the  lance.  They  were  both  strong  men,  and 
at  length  the  shaft  broke,  and  Shield  Quiver 
held  the  piece  on  which  was  the  head.  Then 
he  jumped  back  and  shook  off  his  wife,  and 
194 


Shield  Quiver's   Wife 

rushed  at  the  Snake  and  thrust  the  lance  into 
his  breast,  and  so  killed  him  with  his  own 
lance. 

Then  he  turned  to  his  wife  and  said :  "  lSTow, 
woman,  I  have  killed  this  man  that  you  have 
tried  to  help,  and  I  would  like  to  have  you 
tell  me  what  is  the  reason  that  you  acted  as 
you  did,  and  tried  to  help  him  to  kill  me." 

Then  the  woman  explained  her  reasons,  and 
said :  "  When  I  left  you  I  went  into  the  camp 
and  found  this  sack  of  paint,  and  while  I  was 
looking  at  it  he  came  up  and  asked  me  to  go 
to  his  camp  with  him,  and  I  liked  him,  and 
thought  that  I  would  go  with  him.  So  we  laid 
a  plan  to  kill  you  before  we  went  to  camp." 

Shield  Quiver  said  to  her:  "Now,  woman, 
listen.  Bearhead  wanted  you.  He  has  had  a 
good  many  women,  and  he  has  killed  all  that 
he  had.  Through  pity  I  took  you.  I  never 
expected  to  take  a  wife.  I  will  not  do  any 
thing  to  you  for  what  you  have  done  to  me, 
but  will  take  good  care  of  you  and  will  give 
you  back  to  your  father." 

He  scalped  the  Snake  and  took  everything 
that  he  had.  The  woman  was  crying  hard.  He 
asked  her  what  she  was  crying  about,  and  she 
195 


The  Punishment  of  the   Stingy 

answered :  "  I  am  crying  for  my  lover,  who  is 
dead."  He  said:  "  Saddle  up  your  horse.  We 
will  go  home." 

They  started,  and  after  many  days'  travel 
reached  the  Blackfoot  camp.  It  was  in  the 
night.  The  next  morning  Shield  Quiver  said 
to  his  wife :  "  Put  on  your  best  clothing.  I 
told  you  I  was  going  to  give  you  back  to  your 
father,  and  I  am  going  to  take  you  there  this 
morning.  So  get  ready  to  go." 

The  woman  put  on  her  best  clothes,  and 
painted  herself  up  nicely,  and  they  started  off 
to  the  old  chief's  lodge.  The  old  chief  was  glad 
to  see  his  son-in-law  and  his  daughter  back 
again.  No  one  knew  that  Shield  Quiver  had 
killed  a  Snake.  He  had  not  spoken  of  it  to 
any  one.  After  they  had  sat  down  the  young 
man  reached  down  into  his  belt  and  drew  out 
the  scalp  and  said :  "  Here,  old  man,  here  is 
all  I  have  done  on  this  journey.  I  have  taken 
no  horses,  but  I  have  killed  a  Snake.  I  have 
killed  your  daughter's  lover.  It  is  only  by  the 
help  and  the  power  of  the  Sun  that  you  see 
me  here  to-day.  Your  daughter  tried  to  kill 
me  on  this  trip,  while  I  was  fighting  with  this 
Snake  Indian.  I  am  afraid  to  live  with  her, 
196 


Shield  Quiver's  Wife 

and  have  brought  her  back  to  you  again.  This 
is  the  best  I  can  do,  to  give  you  this  scalp  and 
your  daughter  back  again."  When  Shield 
Quiver  had  said  this  he  got  up  and  walked  out 
of  the  lodge,  and  went  back  to  his  own  home. 
The  old  man  said  nothing. 

The  girl  had  two  brothers,  and  both  were  sit 
ting  in  the  lodge  while  Shield  Quiver  was 
speaking;  and  when  they  had  heard  the  story 
told,  and  had  thought  about  it,  they  got  up,  and 
each  took  hold  of  one  of  the  girl's  arms,  and 
they  led  her  out  of  the  lodge.  Then  they  said 
to  her :  "  You  cannot  live  here  with  us.  You 
had  better  go  and  join  your  dead  Snake  lover." 

So  they  killed  her  there. 


The  Beaver  Stick 


The  Beaver  Stick 


IN  ancient  times,  long  before  the  peo 
ple  had  found  horses  and  used  them 
instead  of  dogs  to  bear  burdens  and 
I  drag  lodge  poles,  there  lived  Man- 
yan — New  Robe — an  orphan. 

New  Robe's  parents  had  died  when  he  was 
a  little  child,  and  he  was  brought  up  by  an  old 
woman  who  also  died  before  he  grew  up  to  be 
a  man.  His  parents,  hopeful  for  his  future, 
had  given  their  son  a  good  name,  but  in  all 
his  life  up  to  the  time  he  was  seventeen  or  eigh 
teen  years  old,  he  had  never  worn  a  new  robe 
or  any  other  new  article  of  clothing.  The  cast- 
off  garments  of  the  well-to-do  were  thought  good 
enough  for  him.  He  was  always  dirty  and  rag 
ged,  and  his  matted  and  tangled  hair  hung  low 
over  his  forehead,  and  almost  hid  his  sore  red 
eyes.  Somewhere  he  had  picked  up  an  old  bow, 
but  it  had  no  strength ;  and  even  if  it  had  been 
201 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

strong  and  full  of  quick  spring,  the  broken- 
pointed  flint  heads  of  his  arrows  would  not 
have  pierced  the  flesh  of  any  large  animal. 
He  had  an  old  flint  knife,  but  its  edge  was  so 
ragged  and  blunted  that  it  would  scarcely  cut 
a  piece  of  boiled  meat. 

Yet  New  Kobe  lived  along  contentedly 
enough,  for  he  knew  nothing  better  than  all 
this.  He  never  thought  that  he  was  different 
from  other  young  men,  until  one  day  he  chanced 
to  overhear  the  conversation  of  some  young 
women.  He  was  lying  half  asleep  in  a  patch 
of  willows  when  the  girls  came  along,  and, 
stopping  near  him,  sat  down  and  kept  on 
talking. 

"  Well,"  said  one,  "  you  have  each  told  your 
choice,  but  you  have  not  spoken  of  the  very 
handsomest  and  nicest  of  all  the  young  men. 
Why  have  you  forgotten  New  Robe?" 

They  all  shrieked  with  laughter — she  who 
had  spoken  most  of  all — and  then  began  to  jest 
about  him,  and  New  Robe's  face  grew  hot  as 
he  heard  the  many  unkind  things  they  said 
about  his  appearance  and  his  poverty.  One  of 
the  girls,  however,  had  a  better  heart. 

"  It  is  wrong,"  she  said,  "  for  us  to  talk  in 
202 


The  Beaver  Stick 

this  way  about  the  young  man.  He  cannot 
help  being  poor,  and  I  am  sorry  for  him.  I 
must  say,  though,  that  he  might  be  cleaner  and 
neater  than  he  is.  I  wish  I  could  talk  to  him; 
I  would  like  to  tell  him  some  things  that  would 
be  for  his  good." 

"  Why,  you  must  be  in  love  with  him,"  one 
of  the  girls  exclaimed,  laughing. 

"  Well,"  replied  the  other,  "  I  pity  the  poor 
young  man,  and,  if  my  father  would  allow  me, 
I  would  marry  him  and  make  a  man  of  him. 
All  he  needs  to  change  his  ways  is  kindness  and 
teaching." 

In  the  evening  New  Robe  met  this  girl,  Mas- 
tah  ki — Raven  Woman — as  she  was  coming 
from  the  river  with  a  skin  of  water.  Already 
he  had  combed  out  his  hair  and  washed  himself, 
and  she  stared  at  him  in  surprise. 

"  Ah,"  he  said,  stopping  her  in  the  path. 
"  To-day  I  heard  your  kind  words,  and  have 
taken  them  to  my  heart.  I  am  going  away 
to  try  to  earn  a  name,  to  try  to  become  a  chief. 
Pray  for  me ;  ask  the  Sun  to  help  me." 

"  I  will  pray  for  you  every  day,"  said  the 
girl. 

"  And  if  I  return  such  a  man  that  no  one 
203 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

need  be  ashamed  of  me,"  he  asked,  "  will  you 
be  my  wife?" 

"  Yes,  gladly,"  she  replied.  "  And  now  go ; 
people  are  looking  at  us." 

The  next  morning  New  Eobe  left  the  camp. 
He  did  not  know  where  to  go,  nor  what  he  was 
going  to  do.  Something  seemed  to  tell  him  to 
push  forward,  and  that  somehow,  in  some  way, 
he  would  be  fortunate.  lie  had  but  little  food, 
only  some  tough,  dried  meat,  and  his  weapons 
were  poor  and  of  little  use ;  yet  he  did  not  fear 
that  he  would  starve,  or  suffer  any  harm  from 
the  animals  or  from  the  enemy. 

It  was  late  in  the  fall,  and  the  nights  were 
very  cold.  One  evening,  after  a  long  day's 
tramp,  he  came  to  the  edge  of  a  broad  beaver 
pond.  Tall,  thick  grass  grew  on  the  dam, 
and  he  pulled  armfuls  of  this  and  heaped  it 
up,  and  then  crawled  under  the  pile  to  pass 
the  night.  It  was  a  warm,  soft  nest,  and  he 
was  already  almost  asleep  when  some  one  called 
his  name.  He  lifted  his  head  and  looked  out 
from  under  the  grass,  and  saw  standing  near 
by  a  handsome  young  man,  very  beautifully 
dressed. 

"  Come,"  said  the  stranger,  "  this  is  a  cold 
204 


The  Beaver  Stick 

and  cheerless  place.  My  father's  lodge  is  close 
by,  and  he  asks  you  to  be  his  guest." 

New  Robe  arose  and  shook  the  grass  from 
his  robe.  "  It  is  strange/'  he  said,  "  that  I  did 
not  see  your  camp.  Before  I  descended  into 
the  valley  from  the  prairie  I  looked  carefully 
over  it,  up  and  down." 

"  It  is  very  near  here/7  the  stranger  replied. 
"  Come,  let  us  go  in.  My  father  waits  for  us, 
and  the  night  is  cold." 

He  started,  and  led  the  way  out  over  the  ice, 
which  had  frozen  from  the  shore  for  some  dis 
tance  out  into  the  pond.  New  Robe  followed, 
wondering  why  they  should  take  that  course. 
Presently  they  reached  the  edge  of  the  ice; 
just  beyond,  a  large  beaver  house  rose  above 
the  water. 

"  That  is  our  home,"  said  the  stranger. 
"  Now,  I  am  going  to  dive,  and  you  must  follow 
me.  Just  shut  your  eyes,  and  do  not  be  afraid." 

With  a  great  splash  he  disappeared  in  the 
water,  and  New  Robe,  after  hesitating  a  little 
and  praying  to  the  Sun  for  aid  in  this  strange 
adventure,  closed  his  eyes  and  pitched  headlong 
into  the  place  where  his  companion  had  disap 
peared.  After  swimming  a  few  strokes,  he  felt 
205 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

the  pressure  of  the  water  suddenly  give  way, 
and,  opening  his  eyes,  found  that  he  was  in  a 
great  circular  lodge.  From  the  doorway  a  pool 
of  water  extended  into  the  centre  of  it,  and 
between  its  edge  and  the  walls  were  beds  of 
soft  and  beautiful  robes.  On  the  one  at  the 
back  sat  a  kind  -  looking  old  man,  who  spoke 
pleasantly  to  him  and  bade  him  take  a  seat 
by  his  side;  and  as  New  Robe  stepped  out  of 
the  pool  he  found  that  he  was  perfectly  dry — 
no  part  of  his  clothing  or  person  had  been  wet 
by  the  water  he  had  passed  through.  Near  the 
old  man  sat  his  wife,  a  handsome  old  woman, 
and  on  other  beds  reclined  their  two  sons,  one 
of  whom  had  guided  New  Robe  to  the  place. 
They  all  wore  clothing  of  beautiful  material 
and  fashion,  but  he  now  noticed  that  the  skin 
of  each  of  these  persons,  wherever  it  could  be 
seen — even  their  faces — was  covered  with  fine 
fur,  that  of  the  two  sons  being  pure  white. 

"  You  are  welcome,  my  son,"  said  the  old 
man — "  welcome  to  the  lodge  of  the  Beaver 
Chief.  One  of  my  sons  saw  you  creeping  into 
your  nest  of  grass,  and  I  bade  him  invite  you 
in.  These  nights  are  cold  for  one  to  be  without 
shelter." 

206 


The  Beaver  Stick 

"  Yes,"  added  his  wife,  "  and  no  doubt  the 
poor  young  man  is  hungry ;  he  seems  to  be  lean 
and  pinched." 

"  Oh!  All  To  be  sure/'  said  the  old  man; 
"  of  course  he  is  hungry :  just  give  me  a  dish, 
and  I  will  prepare  some  food  for  him." 

E"ew  Robe  looked  in  astonishment  at  what 
the  Beaver  Chief  was  doing.  He  took  a  large 
buffalo  chip  and  placed  it  in  the  dish,  and  began 
to  break  it  up  into  fine  pieces,  singing,  as  he  did 
so,  a  strange  song.  The  hard,  dry  stuff  turned 
into  rich  pemmican,  and  when  the  last  bit  of 
the  chip  had  been  broken  up  the  bowl  was  pass 
ed  to  him.  His  wonder  increased  when  he  found 
that  the  food  tasted  as  good  as  it  looked. 

"  Our  only  food,"  said  the  old  man,  "  is  the 
bark  of  the  trees;  for,  after  all,  you  know, 
we  are  actually  beavers,  although  we  have  the 
power  to  change  our  bodies  into  the  form  of 
any  living  thing.  But  there  are  many  secret 
and  wonderful  things  that  we  have  learned 
through  much  prayer  and  through  the  search 
for  different  medicines.  Stay  with  us  for  a 
time,  and  perhaps  you  may  learn  something 
of  them.  .  Just  look  about  you  and  see  how 
many  we  have  gathered  in  our  time." 
207 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

Indeed,  there  were  more  than  one  could  count. 
They  hung  on  the  walls  and  from  the  roof,  en 
closed  in  beautiful  pouches  and  sacks  of  strange 
shape.  New  Robe  wondered  what  they  were, 
and  wished  he  could  open  each  one  and  examine 
it. 

The  pool  in  the  centre  of  the  lodge  was  never 
still ;  the  current  coming  in  from  the  door  whirl 
ed  slowly  around  and  around.  On  its  surface 
floated  a  short  piece  of  beaver  cutting  which 
seemed  very  old  and  quite  water-soaked;  yet  it 
did  not  sink,  nor,  like  other  pieces  of  wood, 
finally  float  out  on  the  current  constantly  enter 
ing  and  going  out  of  the  doorway.  Night  and 
day  it  whirled  slowly  around  the  circumference 
of  the  pool.  Although  there  was  no  fire  in  the 
lodge,  it  was  warm  enough,  and  not  colder  at 
night  than  in  the  daytime:  thus  little  covering 
was  needed  when  its  occupants  went  to  bed. 

New  Robe  was  awakened  from  his  first  night's 
rest  in  the  strange  place  by  the  old  man  calling 
him  to  arise  and  eat.  He  had  scarcely  begun 
to  taste  a  fresh  dish  of  the  strangely  made  pern- 
mican,  when  the  water  in  the  pool  began  to 
heave  and  rise,  and  then  again  sank  to  its  level 
as  one  of  the  sons  arose  from  its  depths  and 
208 


The  Beaver  Stick 

stepped  over  to  his  couch,  not  a  drop  of  water 
clinging  to  him  or  his  garments.  "  Our  pond 
is  frozen  over/'  he  said.  "  Not  even  an  air 
hole  remains  open." 

"Hair  the  old  man  exclaimed.  "Is  it  so? 
Well,  winter  has  come,  and,"  turning  to  New 
Robe,  "  now  you  cannot  leave  us  until  spring 
comes  and  melts  the  ice.  But  do  not  be  un 
easy;  we  will  treat  you  well,  and  try  to  make 
your  life  here  pleasant." 

So  New  Robe  spent  the  winter  in  the  bea 
ver's  lodge.  The  days  came  and  went,  one 
after  another,  and  easy  contentment  marked 
their  flight.  Most  of  the  waking  hours  were 
passed  by  the  beavers  in  praying  to  their  medi 
cines  and  in  singing  their  sacred  songs,  and  the 
young  man,  listening,  learned  much  of  their 
secret  wisdom. 

The  months  passed,  and  one  morning  the 
water  in  the  whirling  pool  was  seen  to  be  a  lit 
tle  muddy.  The  next  day,  one  of  the  sons  re 
ported  that  in  places  the  ice  had  melted.  The 
old  man  and  the  two  sons  went  out  to  look  about 
and  inspect  the  dam,  leaving  New  Robe  and 
the  old  woman  inside. 

" Kyi"  she  said,  "  summer  is  now  come,  and 
o  209 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

you  will  soon  leave  us.  Before  you  go  the 
old  man  will  make  you  a  present ;  he  will  give 
you  your  choice  of  all  his  medicines.  Choose 
that  stick  whirling  about  there  in  the  pool,  for 
it  is  the  strongest  of  them  all.  He  will  try 
to  make  you  believe  it  is  worthless,  but  insist 
on  having  it,  and  finally  he  will  give  it  to 
you." 

Presently  the  others  returned.  "  Well," 
said  the  old  man  to  New  Robe,  "  spring  has 
really  come,  and  I  know  that  you  wish  to  re 
turn  to  your  people.  I  am  going  to  give  you 
something  to  take  back  with  you.  Look  about 
you,  my  son.  See  all  these  beautiful  medi 
cines  hanging  on  the  walls.  Choose  the  one 
you  fancy,  and  it  is  yours." 

"  Give  me  that,"  said  New  Robe,  pointing  to 
the  floating  stick. 

ff  0-e-ai !"  the  old  man  exclaimed,  in  a  sur 
prised  and  pained  tone.  "  0-e-ai!  What? 
That  old  stick?  Surely,  my  son,  you  must  be 
crazy.  Look  about  you;  open  your  eyes  and 
choose  one  of  these  beautiful  medicines." 

"  Give  me  the  stick,"  New  Robe  repeated. 

"  Come,  come.  Surely  you  do  not  know 
what  you  ask  for.  Now  let  me  explain  to  you," 
210 


The  Beaver  Stick 

and  the  old  man  began  to  point  out  the  differ 
ent  medicines  and  to  tell  what  they  were,  ex 
plaining  the  wonderful  and  mysterious  power 
of  each.  "  There,  you  see,"  he  concluded, 
"  how  unreasonable  was  your  choice.  Now  I 
have  explained  them  all,  tell  me  which  will 
you  have  ?" 

New  Robe  considered;  he  wrondered  if  the 
old  woman  had  not  been  mistaken  in  advising 
him  to  choose  the  old  beaver  cutting,  but  he 
caught  her  eye,  and,  assured  by  her  meaning 
glance,  replied  as  before,  "  Give  me  the  stick." 

Once  more  the  old  man  tried  with  all  his 
power  to  persuade  him  to  make  a  different 
choice,  and  the  sweat  rolled  from  his  brow  AS 
he  entreated  the  young  man  to  select  something 
else,  and  once  more  New  Robe  said,  "  I  want 
the  stick." 

ff  0-e-ai!"  cried  the  old  man  in  despair. 
"  Four  times  you  have  asked  for  the  old  cut 
ting,  and  when  that  sacred  number  is  reached 
I  cannot  refuse.  Take  the  cutting,  my  son. 
It  is  the  most  valuable  and  powerful  of  all  my 
medicines.  It  is  really  a  beaver  which,  at  will, 
you  can  change  to  the  simple  cutting  as  it  ap 
pears  to  be." 

211 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

ISTew  Robe  was  pleased,  and  when  he  learned 
how  powerful  the  medicine  was  that  he  had 
chosen  he  knew  that  he  had  not  left  the  home  of 
his  people  in  vain.  He  was  now  obliged  to 
put  off  his  departure,  for  he  had  to  learn  the 
hundred  songs  and  the  many  prayers  that  went 
with  his  gift.  But  at  last  he  knew  them  all 
by  heart,  and  the  old  man  gave  him  some  part 
ing  advice. 

"  You  must  not  look  back/'  he  said,  "  when 
you  leave  us,  not  even  once,  or  the  medicine 
will  leave  you  and  return  to  me.  Also,  you 
must  always  carry  it  concealed  beneath  your 
shirt,  hanging  by  the  string  I  have  tied  to  it. 
Never  let  any  one  see  it,  or  your  power  will  be 
broken." 

Then  they  all  bade  him  good-bye,  and  he 
dived  into  the  pool,  and  presently  rose  to  the 
surface  of  the  pond.  When  he  reached  the 
shore  he  knelt  down  in  the  grass  and  cried, 
cried  long  and  bitterly,  for  he  felt  very  sad  to 
leave  the  kind  beavers.  It  was  all  he  could  do 
to  keep  from  looking  back  for  one  last  glimpse 
of  them.  But  after  a  time  he  rose  and  walked 
on,  out  of  the  valley,  up  over  the  dry,  wide 
plain.  After  a  little  he  came  to  a  river, 
212 


The  Beaver  Stick 

swollen  and  swift  with  the  melted  snows.  He 
placed  a  little  cutting  in  the  water,  and  it 
changed  at  once  into  a  large,  pure  white 
beaver. 

"Little  brother,"  said  New  Kobe,  "the 
stream  is  high  and  dangerous.  Cut  me  some 
logs  so  that  I  may  make  a  raft  on  which  to 
cross  it  safely." 

At  once  the  beaver  began  to  fell  some  trees, 
and,  -as  fast  as  he  cut  them  into  lengths,  New 
Robe  bound  them  together.  In  a  little  while 
there  were  enough  to  bear  his  weight,  and  he 
crossed  to  the  other  side  in  safety.  Then,  liftj 
ing  the  beaver  up,  it  changed  into  the  stick 
again,  and,  putting  it  safely  in  his  bosom,  he 
journeyed  on. 

One  morning  he  came  in  sight  of  the  camp, 
and  sat  down  on  a  neighboring  hill,  prepared 
to  do  just  as  the  old  man  had  instructed  him. 

Pretty  soon  two  or  three  young  men  ap 
proached,  looking  with  wonder  at  the  strange 
and  beautiful  robe  he  wore.  When  they  had 
come  near  enough  to  hear  his  voice — for  he  kept 
his  face  covered — he  told  them  to  stand  where 
they  were,  and  asked  them  to  go  and  tell  the 
father  of  Raven  Woman  that  he  was  New  Robe, 
213 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

returned  from  strange  adventures,  and  with,  a 
powerful  medicine.  "  Ask  him/'  he  said,  "  to 
have  four  sweat  lodges  built  for  me,  in  a  row 
from  east  to  west,  and  when  the  stones  are 
heated  to  let  me  know." 

The  young  men  returned  to  the  camp,  and 
in  a  little  while  came  back  to  say  that  all  was 
ready.  New  Robe  told  them  to  walk  ahead  and 
warn  the  people  to  keep  away  from  him,  and, 
as  they  all  stood  in  a  big  crowd  on  each  side 
of  his  path,  he  came  to  the  first  sweat  lodge 
and  entered  it.  Sprinkling  the  water  on  the 
hot  stones,  he  began  the  sacred  songs  that  the 
old  man  beaver  had  taught  him,  and,  as  he  sang, 
some  of  the  fur  with  which  his  body  had  been 
gradually  covered  during  the  winter  fell  to 
the  ground.  Soon  he  left  this  sweat  lodge  and 
went  into  the  next  one,  and  the  people  crowded 
around  the  one  he  had  left,  looking  with  wonder 
at  the  little  heap  of  shed  fur.  So  he  went  into 
the  four  sweat  lodges,  one  after  the  other. 

When  he  came  out  of  the  fourth  sweat  lodge, 
New  Robe  had  shed  the  last  of  his  beaver  fur, 
and  was  so  changed  that  no  one  recognized 
him.  He  was  a  beautiful,  clear-eyed,  long 
haired  young  man.  He  went  straight  to  Raven 
214 


The  Beaver  Stick 

Woman,  who  was  standing  near,  and  took  her 
hand.  They  were  both  so  happy  they  could  not 
speak.  The  girl's  father  pointed  to  his  lodge. 
"  It  is  yours/'  he  said,  "  and  everything  it  con 
tains.  Go  and  live  happily,  my  children." 

New  Kobe  became  a  great  chief.  By  the  aid 
of  his  medicine  he  was  able  not  only  to  cure 
sickness,  but  he  became  a  great  warrior.  No 
river  or  lake  could  stop  his  way,  and  he  was 
able  to  kill  many  of  the  enemy  who  were  en 
camped  by  the  shores  of  any  water,  for,  when 
ever  he  asked  it  of  his  medicine,  it  took  him 
safely  down  under  the  surface  of  the  water, 
wherever  he  wished  to  go. 


Little  Friend  Coyote 


Little  Friend  Coyote 


T  was  in  the  summer,  when  the  Black- 
foot  and  Piegan  tribes  were  camped 
together,  that  the  Blackfoot  Front 
Wolf  first  noticed  Su-ye-sai-pi,  a 
Piegan  girl,  and  liked  her,  and  determined 
to  make  her  his  wife.  She  was  young  and  hand 
some  and  of  good  family,  and  her  parents  were 
well-to-do,  for  her  father  was  a  leading  warrior 
of  his  tribe.  Front  Wolf  was  himself  a  noted 
warrior,  and  had  grown  rich  from  his  forays 
on  the  camps  of  the  enemy,  so  when  he  asked 
for  the  young  woman  her  parents  were  pleased 
— pleased  to  give  their  daughter  to  such  a  strong 
young  man,  and  pleased  to  accept  the  thirty 
horses  he  sent  them  with  the  request. 

In  those  days,  in  the  long  ago,  such  inter 
tribal  marriages  were  common,  for  the  two  great 
camps  often  travelled  together  in  quest  of  the 
buffalo,    sometimes    for    a   whole    winter    and 
219 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

summer,  and  thus  the  young  people  became 
acquainted  with  each  other.  Again  they  would 
be  separated  by  hundreds  of  miles  of  rolling 
plain. 

After  their  marriage  the  young  couple  con 
tinued  to  live  in  the  Piegan  camp,  for  Front 
Wolf  had  many  friends  there  of  his  own  age, 
who  begged  him  to  remain  with  them.  They 
liked  to  go  on  raids  under  his  leadership  bet 
ter  than  with  any  one  else.  It  seemed  to  his 
wife  as  if  he  were  always  away  on  some  ex 
pedition,  so  seldom  was  he  at  home,  and  as 
she  had  learned  to  respect  and  love  him,  she 
was  very  lonely  during  these  long  absences. 
One  summer,  only  two  or  three  days  after 
his  return  from  a  successful  war-journey  against 
the  Crows,  he  said  to  his  wife :  "  It  is  a  long 
time  since  I  have  seen  my  parents.  Now  I 
think  it  time  for  me  to  visit  them  and  give 
them  some  horses.  If  you  have  any  little 
things  you  wish  to  send  them,  hurry  and  make 
them  ready,  so  that  I  may  take  them." 

"  I   have   some   pretty   moccasins   for   your 

father,"  said  Su-ye-sai-pi,  "  and  a  fine  buckskin 

dress  for  your  mother;  but  I  am  not  going  to 

send  them.   I  want  to  go  with  you  and  present 

220 


Little   Friend  Coyote 

them  myself.  It  seems  as  if  you  do  not  care  at 
all  for  me.  Here  you  are  just  home  from  a  long 
journey,  and  yet  you  would  start  right  out 
again,  without  thinking  ahout  me  at  all." 

"  No,"  Front  Wolf  replied,  "  it  is  not  that 
I  do  not  love  you ;  you  may  go  with  me  if  you 
insist  on  it.  I  did  not  like  to  ask  you  to  make 
the  trip,  for  the  distance  is  great,  and  there 
is  danger  on  the  way." 

Su-ye-sai-pi  was  happy.  She  began  her  prep 
arations  at  once,  and  only  laughed  at  her  pa 
rents  when  they  urged  her  to  remain  with  them, 
telling  her  that  the  plains  swarmed  with  war 
parties  in  search  of  scalps  and  plunder,  and 
that  she  would  surely  be  killed. 

At  this  time  the  Piegans  were  hunting  on 
the  Lower  Milk  River,  but  the  morning  that 
Front  Wolf  and  his  wife  started  away  the 
whole  camp  moved  too,  for  the  chiefs  wished 
to  pass  the  hot  season  along  the  foot-hills  of 
the  great  mountains.  At  the  last  moment  five 
young  Blackfeet,  visitors  in  the  camp,  decided 
that  they  too  would  return  home,  so  they  set 
forth  with  the  couple,  and  helped  drive  the 
little  herd  of  horses  that  Front  Wolf  intended 
to  give  his  relatives.  The  northern  tribe  was 
221 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

thought  to  be  summering  on  the  Red  Deer 
River,  and  a  course  was  roughly  taken  for  the 
place  where  it  joins  the  Saskatchewan.  This 
brought  the  little  party,  after  three  or  four 
days'  travel,  to  the  Cypress  Hills,  or,  as  they 
were  named  by  the  Indians,  the  Gap-in-the-Mid- 
dle  Hills.  They  reached  the  southern  slopes 
of  the  low  buttes  one  morning,  after  being  with 
out  water  all  the  preceding  day,  and  prepared 
to  camp  and  rest  at  the  edge  of  a  little  grove, 
close  to  which  a  large,  clear  spring  bubbled 
up  from  a  pile  of  sunken  bowlders.  They  did 
not  know  that  a  large  camp  of  Kutenais  was  just 
behind  the  hills  where  they  stopped,  and  that 
one  of  their  hunters,  seeing  them  coming,  had 
hurried  home  and  spread  the  news.  Su-ye-sai- 
pi  had  scarcely  started  a  fire  when  the  warriors 
from  the  camp  were  seen  to  be  approaching 
the  little  party  from  all  directions,  completely 
hemming  them  in.  Although  these  two  tribes, 
the  Blackfeet  and  Kutenais,  had  once  been  very 
friendly  to  each  other,  they  were  now  at  war. 
When  the  strangers  approached,  one  of  them, 
the  chief,  who  had  learned  Blackfoot  in  other 
days,  called  out,  "  Don't  fire ;  we  are  friends ; 
we  will  not  harm  you." 
222 


Little  Friend  Coyote 

Front  Wolf  and  his  friends  had  drawn  the 
covers  from  their  guns,  prepared  to  fight  and 
to  sell  their  lives  dearly,  but  when  Front  Wolf 
heard  this,  and  saw  that  the  strangers  made  no 
motions  to  shoot,  he  lowered  his  rifle  and  said: 
"  They  intend  to  make  peace  with  us ;  I  guess 
they  are  tired  of  being  at  war  with  our  peo 
ple.  Do  not  be  afraid;  they  will  not  harm 
us." 

The  chief  came  up  first,  and  shook  hands 
with  Front  Wolf  and  the  rest,  saying :  "I  am 
glad  to  meet  you.  Our  camp  is  near.  Come 
over  to  my  lodge,  and  we  will  feast  and  smoke." 

These  were  kind  words.  The  little  party  of 
Blackfeet  did  not  doubt  that  they  were  sincere. 
They  packed  up  again,  mounted  their  horses, 
and  rode  around  the  hill  to  the  lodges.  The 
chief  invited  them  to  stop  with  him,  and  they 
rode  towards  the  big  lodge  in  the  centre  of  the 
village,  where  many  people  were  gathered. 
There  they  dismounted,  when  suddenly  their 
arms  were  taken  from  them  by  the  surrounding 
crowd,  and  they  were  pushed  into  the  big 
lodge.  It  was  a  very  hot  day,  and  all  around 
the  skin  lodge-covering  had  been  raised  to  allow 
the  cool  breeze  to  pass  beneath  it,  so  the  prison- 
223 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

ers  could  see  all  that  was  happening  without. 
Their  little  band  of  horses  was  quickly  divided 
and  led  away;  and  then  the  chief  and  all  the 
men  had  a  long  talk. 

Presently  the  chief  came  inside  and  sat 
down  in  his  accustomed  place  at  the  back  of  the 
lodge.  Following  him  four  warriors  entered, 
and  seizing  the  young  Blackfoot  who  sat  near 
est  the  door,  led  him  out  some  little  distance 
from  the  lodge,  where  one  of  them  brained 
him  with  a  war-club,  and  then  every  one  tried 
to  get  a  piece  of  his  scalp  or  to  plunge  a  knife 
into  his  body.  In  a  moment  his  hands,  feet, 
and  head  were  severed,  and  women  were  push 
ing  and  kicking  and  pounding  the  mutilated 
parts  here  and  there,  singing  as  they  did  so  the 
shrill  song  of  revenge.  The  Blackfeet  looked 
on  at  this  terrible  butchery  of  their  friend  with 
horror,  but  in  stolid  silence,  all  save  Su-ye-sai- 
pi,  who  gave  a  frightened  cry  when  she  saw 
the  poor  fellow  struck  down,  and,  clasping  her 
husband  by  the  arm,  buried  her  face  in  his 
breast.  The  chief  smiled,  but  did  not  speak. 
Presently  another  one  of  the  young  Blackfeet 
was  led  out,  and  met  the  fate  of  the  first  one. 
One  after  another,  when  his  turn  came,  each 
224 


Little   Friend  Coyote 

arose  and  accompanied  his  captors  without 
struggle  or  cry,  and  met  his  death  as  a  warrior 
should. 

At  last  all  had  been  killed  except  Front 
Wolf  and  his  wife,  and  presently  they  came 
for  him.  Su-ye-sai-pi  clung  to  him  and  cried 
and  begged,  but  her  husband  himself  put  her 
from  him  and  went  out,  saying  to  her  a  last 
kind  word.  "  Do  not  cry,"  he  said.  "  Take 
courage.  Take  courage.7'  As  he  neared  the 
place  of  butchery  he  began  to  sing  his  war- 
song,  and  the  poor  wife,  looking  on,  saw  him 
smile  as  the  great  stone  club  descended,  and  he 
fell  forward  lifeless  to  the  ground.  The  wom 
an  now  thought  that  her  turn  had  come,  but  the 
executioners  did  not  return.  She  wished  that 
they  would  not  delay;  she  wished  to  have  the 
dreadful  ordeal  over  with,  so  that  her  shadow 
might  overtake  her  husband's  as  it  travelled 
along  on  the  road  to  the  Sandhills — home  of 
the  departed  Blackfeet.  All  the  Kutenais,  even 
the  women  and  children,  had  now  painted  their 
faces  black,  and  were  dancing  the  scalp-dance, 
carrying  before  them  the  scalps,  stretched  on 
long,  forked  willows. 

"  Come,"  said  the  chief  to  Su-ye-sai-pi,  of- 
p  225 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

fering  her  the  scalp  from  Front  Wolf's  head — 
"  come,  join  us  in  this  dance  and  be  happy." 

"  You  may  kill  me,"  the  woman  replied, 
"  but  you  cannot  make  me  dance.  I  beg  you  to 
kill  me,  so  I  may  join  my  husband." 

The  Kutenai  laughed.  "  You  are  too  young 
to  die  yet/'  he  said ;  "  and,  besides,  we  do  not 
kill  women.  Before  long  we  are  going  to  make 
peace  with  the  Blackfeet  and  Piegans,  and  when 
that  time  comes  we  will  give  you  back  to  your 
people.'7 

Of  course  it  was  a  lie,  for  he  had  no  thought 
of  making  peace,  but  intended  to  keep  the 
woman. 

Su-ye-sai-pi  was  very  sad.  If  she  sat  in  the 
lodge,  the  scalp-song  rang  in  her  ears;  if  she 
stepped  outside,  the  bodies  of  her  husband  and 
friends  greeted  her  eyes.  She  could  do  nothing 
but  cry  and  wish  for  death  to  take  her. 

Several  days  passed,  and  the  rejoicings  of  the 
camp  still  continued.  One  afternoon  an  old 
widow  woman  called  her  into  a  poor  little  lodge 
and  said :  "  I  have  great  pity  for  you,  and  will 
do  what  I  can  to  help  you.  I  do  not  know  what 
the  chief  has  decided  to  do  with  you,  but,  what 
ever  it  is,  I  would  save  you  from  it.  Your 
226 


Little  Friend  Coyote 

only  chance  is  to  try  to  get  away  from  here 
in  the  night  and  seek  your  people.  I  will  fill 
a  good  big  pouch  with  dried  meat  and  pem- 
mican,  and  some  moccasins,  and  as  soon  as  it 
is  dark  I  will  place  it  behind  my  lodge.  When 
the  people  are  all  asleep,  and  the  evening  fire 
has  died  out,  leave  your  bed  as  quietly  as  you 
can,  pick  up  the  pouch,  and  hurry  away  in  the 
direction  from  which  you  came." 

Su-ye-sai-pi  burst  out  crying.  No  one  had 
been  kind  to  her  before,  and  kindness  made  her 
cry.  She  kissed  her  new  friend,  and  when  she 
could  speak  she  said  that  she  would  try  to  get 
away  that  night.  It  seemed  as  if  night  would 
never  come,  and  then  as  if  the  people  would 
never  stop  talking  and  feasting  and  go  to  bed. 
But  at  last  everything  was  quiet  in  the  camp, 
and  in  the  chief's  lodge  the  fire  of  small  wil 
lows  had  died  down,  and  the  deep  breathing 
of  the  occupants  showed  that  they  were  asleep. 
The  captive  cautiously  arose  from  her  couch 
near  the  door  and  stole  outside.  She  stood  and 
listened  a  moment,  and  then  coughed  once  or 
twice.  No  one  moved  inside;  so,  feeling  sure 
that  no  one  was  watching  her,  or  had  noticed 
her  come  out,  she  went  to  the  widow's  lodge, 
227 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

and  found  the  pouch  behind  it,  and  quickly  but 
noiselessly  left  the  camp. 

The  sky  was  overcast,  and  presently  heavy 
rain,  with  thunder  and  lightning,  came  up,  but 
she  walked  swiftly,  steadily  on,  not  knowing 
nor  caring  whither,  so  long  as  it  was  away  from 
her  enemies.  The  shower  passed,  and  the  moon 
came  out,  and  then  the  poor  woman  heard 
shouts  and  calls,  and  the  rushing  tread  of 
horses;  the  whole  camp  was  aroused,  and  they 
were  searching  for  her.  She  crouched  in  the 
shadow  of  a  bowlder,  and  heard  horsemen  go 
by  on  either  side.  •  Once  two  or  three  of  them 
rode  by  in  plain  sight.  She  remained  there 
a  long  time,  until  everything  was  still  again, 
and  then  hurried  on.  In  a  little  while  she  ap 
proached  a  small  lake,  and  saw  three  horses 
by  its  edge. 

"  Here/7  she  said  to  herself,  "  would  be  a 
good  chance  if  I  only  had  a  rope.  Perhaps 
they  are  hobbled;  if  so,  the  thongs  will  do  for 
a  bridle."  She  walked  carefully  nearer,  when 
suddenly  she  saw  three  dim  figures  on  the 
ground  a"nd  heard  a  loud  snore.  She  almost 
fainted  with '  fright,  knowing  that  these  were 
some  of  her  pursuers  waiting  for  daylight  to 
228 


Little  Friend  Coyote 

resume  their  search.  Quick  as  a  flash  she 
stooped  among  the  low  brush,  crawled  slowly 
back,  and  then,  rising,  hurried  away  in  anoth 
er  direction. 

In  a  little  while  day  began  to  break,  and  she 
found  herself  on  a  wide  plain  south  of  the  hills. 
In  a  little  ravine  near  by  there  was  an  old 
wolf  den;  she  crawled  down  into  it,  feet  fore 
most,  first  carefully  obliterating  her  footsteps 
in  the  soft,  loose  earth  about  it.  There  she  re 
mained  all  day,  eating  none  of  her  little  store 
of  food,  for  she  was  so  thirsty  it  choked  her. 
Several  times  during  the  day  she  heard  the  dis 
tant  tramp  of  horses,  but  she  did  not  look  out, 
much  as  she  wished  to  see  what  was  going  on. 

When  darkness  came  once  more,  she  climbed 
out  and  started  in  search  of  water,  not  know 
ing  which  way  to  look  for  it,  or  whether  she 
would  ever  find  any.  She  travelled  on,  and  on, 
and  on,  and,  when  daylight  again  brightened  tho 
sky,  found  herself  at  the  place  where  her  hus 
band  lay.  Yes,  there  were  the  bodies  of  him 
and  his  friends,  now  shapeless  and  terrible  ob 
jects.  And  the  Kutenais  were  gone.  Fearing 
that  she  might  find  her  people,  dreading  the 
awful  vengeance  that  would  overtake  them  if 
229 


The  Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

she  did,  they  were  no  doubt  already  fleeing  tow 
ards  the  pine-covered  slopes  of  the  great  moun 
tains.  Worn  out  from  her  long  tramp,  and 
nearly  crazed  from  thirst,  the  poor  woman  had 
barely  strength  to  go  on  to  the  spring,  where  she 
drank  long  of  the  cool  water,  and  then  fell 
asleep. 

The  sun  was  hot,  but  Su-ye-sai-pi  slept  on. 
Well  on  in  the  afternoon  she  was  awakened  by 
something  nudging  her  side.  "  They  have 
found  me,"  she  said  to  herself,  shivering  with 
terror,  "  and  when  I  move  a  knife  will  be 
thrust  in  my  side."  She  lay  motionless  a  lit 
tle  while,  and  then  could  bear  the  suspense  no 
longer;  slowly  rising  up  and  turning  back  her 
robe,  what  should  she  find  lying  by  her  side 
but  a  coyote,  looking  up  into  her  face  and  wag 
ging  his  tail ! 

"Oh,  little  wolf!"  she  cried.  "  Oh,  little 
brother!  Have  pity  on  me.  You  know  the 
wide  plains;  lead  me  to  my  people,  for  my 
husband  is  killed,  and  I  am  lost." 

The  little  animal  kept  wagging  his  tail,  and 

when  she  arose  and  went  again  to  the  spring, 

he  followed  her.     She  drank,  and  then  ate  a 

little  dried  meat,  not  forgetting  to  give  him 

230 


OH,  LITTLE   WOLF!'  SHE   CRIED" 


Little  Friend  Coyote 

some,  which  he  hastily  devoured.  She  talked 
to  him  all  the  time,  telling  him  what  had  hap 
pened,  and  what  she  wished  to  do ;  and  he  seem 
ed  to  understand,  for  when  she  started  to  leave 
the  spring  he  bounded  on  ahead,  often  stopping 
and  looking  back,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Come 
on;  this  is  the  way." 

They  were  passing  through  the  broken  hills, 
and  the  coyote,  quite  a  long  way  ahead,  had 
climbed  to  the  top  of  a  low  butte  and  looked 
cautiously  over  it,  when  he  turned,  ran  back 
part  way,  and  then  circled  off  to  the  right. 
Su-ye-sai-pi  was  frightened,  thinking  he  had 
sighted  the  Kutenais,  and  she  ran  after  him  as 
fast  as  she  could  go.  He  led  her  to  the  top 
of  another  hill,  and  then,  looking  away  along 
the  ridge,  she  saw  that  he  had  led  her  around  a 
band  of  grizzly  bears,  feeding  and  playing  on 
the  steep  slope.  Then  she  knew  for  certain  that 
he  was  to  be  trusted,  and  she  told  him  to  keep 
a  long  way  ahead,  to  look  over  the  country 
from  every  rise  of  ground,  and  to  warn  her  if 
he  saw  anything  suspicious.  This  he  did.  He 
would  wait  for  her  at  the  top  of  a  ridge,  where 
they  would  sit  and  rest  awhile,  and  as  soon  as 
she  was  ready  to  go  on  he  would  run  to  the 
231 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

top  of  the  next  rise  before  she  had  taken  fifty 
steps.  If  thirsty,  she  would  tell  him,  and  in  a 
little  while  he  would  always  take  her  to  some 
water.  Sometimes  it  would  be  a  small  trick 
ling  stream  in  a  coulee ;  sometimes  a  soft,  damp 
gravel-bed,  where  she  was  obliged  to  scoop  out 
a  hole;  sometimes  it  was  a  muddy  buffalo- 
wallow — and  it  was  always  strong  with  alkali 
— but  it  was  the  best  there  was. 

In  this  way,  after  many  days,  they  came  to 
the  Little  (Milk)  River.  The  pouch  had  long 
been  empty,  and  Su-ye-sai-pi  was  weak  from 
hunger,  and  her  weary  feet  were  swollen  and 
blistered,  for  the  last  pair  of  moccasins  had 
been  worn  out.  Here  by  the  river  were  plenty 
of  berries  and  some  roots  that  are  often  eaten 
— good  to  fill  the  belly,  but  not  strength-making 
food.  Of  them  she  ate  all  she  could,  and  fre 
quently  bathed  her  feet,  and  kept  on  up  the 
valley;  but  every  day  she  went  more  slowly. 
The  stops  for  rest  were  more  frequent  now,  and 
the  coyote  showed  that  he  was  beginning  to 
feel  uneasy.  When  he  thought  she  had  sat  still 
too  long,  he  would  whine  and  paw  at  her  dress, 
and  look  away  up  the  stream,  urging  her  to  go 
on.  He  himself  fared  well  on  the  ground-squir- 
232 


Little   Friend  Coyote 

rels  and  prairie-dogs  he  managed  to  catch,  and 
often  he  brought  one  to  her;  but  she  could  not 
bring  herself  to  eat  it  raw,  and  she  had  no  way 
of  building  a  fire  to  roast  it. 

One  day,  while  the  sun  was  hottest,  the  two 
stopped  to  rest  in  a  thick  patch  of  brush.  They 
were  near  the  mountains  now,  and  the  valley 
was  wide,  with  low,  sloping  hills  on  either  side. 
The  woman  had  been  telling  her  companion — 
she  talked  to  him  now  as  she  would  have  talked 
to  a  person — that  her  feet  were  swollen  so  badly 
she  could  go  no  farther,  and  then  she  fell  asleep. 
She  was  awakened  by  the  coyote  jerking  her 
gown  and  whining,  and  she  sat  up  and  listened. 
Pretty  soon  she  heard  people  talking;  they  were 
some  distance  away,  but  the  murmur  of  their 
voices  seemed  familiar;  they  came  nearer,  and 
she  heard  one  say,  in  her  own  language,  "  Let's 
cross  the  river  here." 

She  hobbled  out  to  the  edge  of  the  brush  and 
called  to  them,  and  when  they  rode  up  to  where 
she  stood,  at  first  they  did  not  know  her,  she  was 
so  worn  and  thin.  She  told  them  her  story,  and 
pointed  to  the  coyote  by  her  side,  telling  them 
how  it  had  helped  her,  and  begging  them  not 
to  kill  it.  They  told  her  that  the  camp  was  only 
233 


The   Punishment  of  the  Stingy 

a  little  way  above  on  the  river,  and  offered  her 
a  horse  to  ride,  but  she  asked  them  to  go  on 
and  tell  her  mother  to  come  after  her  with  a 
travois,  for  she  felt  too  sore  to  ride.  Presently 
her  mother  came,  and  her  father,  and  a  great 
throng  of  the  people,  and  when  she  saw  them 
approaching  she  put  her  arms  around  the  co 
yote  and  kissed  him. 

"  You  have  saved  my  life,"  she  said ;  "  and 
much  as  I  grieve  to,  we  must  part  now,  for,  while 
I  might  prevent  the  people  from  harming  you, 
I  could  not  stop  the  camp  dogs  from  tearing 
you  to  pieces.  But  do  not  go  far  away.  Every 
time  we  move  camp  my  father's  lodge  shall  be 
the  last  to  go;  and  when  the  rest  and  the  dogs 
have  all  left,  we  will  leave  food  for  you  where 
our  lodge  stood.  We  will  always  do  that." 

The  coyote  seemed  to  understand.  He  licked 
her  face  and  whined,  and  as  her  mother  and 
father  approached  he  slowly  moved  away,  look 
ing  back  many,  many  times. 

Su-ye-sai-pi  cried — cried  at  parting  with  her 
faithful  guide,  and  because  at  sight  of  her 
mother  all  her  trials  and  sufferings  came  back 
to  her  mind.  They  placed  her  on  the  travois 
and  drew  her  to  camp,  where  all  the  people 
234 


Little  Friend  Coyote 

came  to  sympathize  with  her,  bringing  some 
thing  from  their  store  of  choice  food  as  presents. 
The  coyote  was  not  forgotten;  food  was  al 
ways  left  at  the  camp  site,  as  she  had  promised, 
and  often,  as  Su-ye-sai-pi  and  her  people  started 
on  after  the  others,  they  saw  him  standing  on 
a  near  hill,  watching  them  out  of  sight. 


THE    END 


American  Contemporary  Novels 

EASTOVERCOURT  HOUSE 

BY  HENRY    BURNHAM    BOONE 
and   KENNETH    BROWN 

This  is  the  first  of  the  twelve  One-o-Month  American  Novels 
to  be  published  during  1901. 

"  If  each  of  the  novels  of  American  life  by  American 
authors  which  Messrs.  Harper  &  Brothers  project  for  the 
current  year  proves  as  good  as  '  Eastover  Court  House,' 
the  twelve  volumes  will  constitute  a  decided  addition  to 
American  fiction." — Detroit  Free  Press. 

"  Its  charm  lies  in  the  constant  succession  of  strongly 
drawn  pictures  of  life.  One  chapter  after  another  presents 
these  scenes,  as  sharply  outlined  and  deep  in  shadows  as 
an  artistic  photograph.  The  book  ...  is  absolutely 
fascinating." — Louisville  Courier- Journal. 

"  Set  in  the  midst  of  the  fox-hunting  and  cross-country 
regions,  there  is  the  hoof-beat  of  the  galloping  hunter  all 
through  the  story,  which  is  full  of  dry  humor  and  vivid 
pen-pictures  of  life." — Horse  Show  Monthly. 

"  The  horse  stories  are  the  best  since  David  Harum  s, 
and  quite  as  laughable  as  his." — Chester  Times. 

Comments  from  various  reviewers 
11  A  good  story  well  told." 
"  Strong  and  absorbing." 
"  Warm  with  life,  with  the  passions  and  emotions  .  . 

of  Virginia." 
"  Wholesome,  true  to  life." 

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American  Contemporary  Novels 

THE  SENTIMENTALISTS 

BY  ARTHUR  STANWOOD  PIER 

This  is  the  second  of  the  twelve  One-a-Month  American  Novels 
to  be  published  during  1901. 

"  A  novelist  who  sets  out  to  depict  a  character  like  Becky 
Sharp  is  likely  to  come  to  grief.  Hence  it  is  surprising  that 
Mr.  Pier  has  not  tailed  in  portraying  the  social  exile,  Mrs. 
Kent.  The  novel  is  strong  and  clever." — Pittsburg  Com 
mercial-Gazette. 

"  It  is  a  very  clever  novel.  There  is  '  story  to  it ;  there 
is  apt  phrasing  and  clear  delineation  of  character ;  there  is 
much  incisive  and  delightful  epigram." — Evening  Sun, 
New  York. 

"  If  the  cleverest  parts  of  this  work  had  been  entirely 
cut  out,  we  should  have  called  it  one  of  the  cleverest  novels 
of  the  season." — Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle. 

"  The  book  is  characterized  throughout  by  keen  analysis 
and  a  delightful  sense  of  humor." — Chicago  Tribune. 

Comments  from  various  reviewers 

"  Mrs.  Kent  is  distinctly  American.  * 

"  As  interesting  and  unique  as  Becky  Sharp." 

"  The  book  will  be  a  success." 

"  A  rattling  good  storj'." 

"  A  vivid  study  of  contemporary  social  life." 

"  One  of  the  cleverest  novels  of  the  season." 

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American  Contemporary  Novels 

MARTIN    BROOK 

BY  MORGAN    BATES 

This  is  the  third  of  the  twelve  One-o-Month  American  Novels 
to  be  published  during  1901. 

"  It  is  written  in  a  style  unknown  nowadays,  .  .  . 
with  an  impressive  power  revealed  at  each  crisis  of  the 
tale,  which  makes  the  pulses  stir  and  the  eye  glisten.  What 
a  book  for  the  opening  of  the  twentieth  century!" — Julian 
Hawthorne,  in  the  Journal,  New  York. 

"  A  very  striking  book,  and  one  that  I  am  quite  sure  will 
take  an  enviable  place  in  line  with  record-breakers.  It 
is  the  third  of  the  '  American  Novel  Series/  and  is  entitled 
'  Martin  Brook.'  I  finished  it  at  one  sitting,  so  intense 
was  my  interest  in  it." — Buffalo  Commercial,  N.  Y. 

"  The  third  of  the  '  American  Novel  Series,'  '  Martin 
Brook/  by  Morgan  Bates,  appeals  to  the  best  in  man  and 
woman,  and  is  a  credit  alike  to  author  and  publishers.  .  .  . 
'  Martin  Brook  '  is  indeed  an  American  novel,  and  of  the 
best  kind." — Philadelphia  Daily  Evening  Telegraph. 

"  One's  interest  is  caught  and  held  by  the  hero  from  the 

moment  of  his  first  appearance  in  its  pages.     .     .     .     There 

has  not  been  a  stronger  scene  [the  library  scene]  written  to 

revive  the  interest  of  jaded  novel  readers  for  many  a  day." 

— N '.  Y.  Commercial  Advertiser. 

"  The  story  is  told  in  a  vigorous  manner,and  is  certainly 
out  of  the  common  run  of  fiction  as  it  is  told  nowadays." 

—New  York  Sun. 
Comments  from  various  reviewers  : 

"  One  of  the  most  refreshing  and  natural  of  novels." 
"  As  good  as  it  is  charming." 
"  A  story  of  depth,  color,  and  action." 
"  It  is  refreshing  to  light  upon  a  story  like  '  Martin 
Brook.'  " 

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American  Contemporary  Novels 

A  VICTIM 
OF    CIRCUMSTANCES 

BY  GERALDINE   ANTHONY 

This  is  the  fourth  of  the  twelve  One-a-Month  American  Novels 
to  be  published  during  1901. 

"  It  plunges  the  reader  directly  into  the  social  whirl 
of  New  York,  and  the  hand  that  detains  one  there  all 
through  an  intensely  interesting  succession  of  functions, 
flirtations,  and  incidents,  ...  is  the  hand  of  one  who  has 
seen  something  whereof  she  writes." — New  York  World. 

"  There  is  more  than  one  thinly  disguised  portrait  in 
its  pages — so  we  are  told." — Mail  and  Express,  New 
York. 

"  Bobby  Floyd  is  probably  the  most  disagreeable  and 
wholly  exasperating  cad  ever  put  into  an  American  novel. 
.  .  .  There  is  love-making  all  through  the  book." — 
The  Times,  Washington,  D.  C. 

"  They  fall  in  love  amid  most  delightful  surroundings 
of  tennis,  boating,  and  driving." — Exchange. 

Comments  from  various  reviewers  ? 

"  Devoid  of  problems  or  mental  complications." 

"  A  book  for  a  summer  day." 

"  Has  the  correct  New  York  social  atmosphere." 

"  Decidedly     a     fascinating     book     about     attractive 

people." 

"  Full  of  touch-and-go  conversation." 
"  They  all  revel  in  smart  talk  and  repartee." 

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